Türkiye limanlarında yabancı bayraklı römorkörlerin 100 yılı 100 Years of Foreign Flagged tugs in Turkish Ports.

Türkiye limanlarında yabancı bayraklı römorkörlerin 100 yılı
100 Years of Foreign Flagged tugs in Turkish Ports.
Yazan/By: Osman Öndeş

SUMMARY
I have titled this work my "Doctoral Dissertation." 
The title is: “Türkiye Limanlarında Yabancı Bayraklı Römorkörlerin 100 Yılı -100 Years of Foreign-Flagged Tugboats in Turkish Ports.”
There is an old Turkish expression which may be rendered as, “One lives long enough to witness yet another astonishment.” 
Before embarking of the story of the many individual tug companies which ever operated in the Tyne, Blyth and Wear areas of the North-east England.
There are many claims as to which area produced the first practical steamboat and this distance in time it is difficult to determine which should have the honour. This is no doubt due to the likehood that similar experimentation was being pursued in different place at home  and abroad at the same time in the early years of the 19th century. However, it is known that the  River Tyne to the forefront in the introduction of srteam propolsion to vessels of various types.
In February 1814 a steam – driven paddle vessel was built at Gateshead for the carriage of passengers between Newcastle and Shields at the mouth of the river. She has veriously been referred to as  Tyne Steamboat or Tyne Packet but wheather these were actual names or just a popular reference to what she was is not known. The vessel was the first put  to work in June 1814 but the venture was not a success,such that in 1817, after a period of idlenessi she was sold to Joseph Pirecei who, very aptly, named her  Perseverance.
In 1821 the Tyne had fourteen tugs in operation and by 1831 the number had increased to thirty. 
Tugboats were developed to solve one of the greatest challenges facing maritime transportation. Before their introduction, ships either had to wait for favorable winds or rely on numerous rowing boats to tow them into or out of port.
Among the principal published works on the history of steam tugboats is British Steam Tugs, written by P. N. Thomas and published by Waine Publications in 1983. Thomas begins his study with the iron-hulled tug Jumna, built at Littlehampton in 1884, which he describes as the only tug owned by that port.
Other valuable sources include British Paddle Steamers and War Sailors, while the collections of the Royal Museums Greenwich provide an exceptionally rich visual archive.
Steam and paddle tugboats have also attracted considerable scholarly and enthusiast interest through the work of the National Maritime Historical Society, the Mersey-based Paddle Steamer Preservation Society, David M. Williams' Paddle Tug on the Clyde, and numerous other publications. Together, these works demonstrate that the history of steam tugboats has become a fascinating field of maritime research in its own right.
From the nineteenth century onward, as Istanbul developed into one of the busiest ports of call and major coaling and provisioning centers of the Eastern Mediterranean, barges and steam tugboats became indispensable components of its maritime operations. During this period, virtually all tugboats serving the Port of Istanbul were built in Great Britain, particularly at the renowned shipbuilding centers of the Tyne, Clyde, Tees, Wear, Newcastle, Sunderland, and the River Thames.

Whenever the name Tyne is mentioned, I cannot help recalling South Shields with deep affection. In 1958-59, following the purchase of four destroyers from the Royal Navy for the Turkish Navy, groups of Turkish naval personnel were sent to Britain to supervise their overhaul before delivery. Some of us were assigned to South Shields, while others proceeded to the Harland & Wolf Shipyard in Glasgow. I spent three memorable months in South Shields and then another three months in Glasgow, where the destroyer to which I had been appointed was being prepared for active service. Those months remain among my fondest memories.
I wish to express my sincere thanks to Cem Seven, Chairman of Sanmar, for his valuable support. All of the historical photographs included in this volume—most of them more than a century old—have been carefully colorized with the assistance of ChatGPT. Many faded black-and-white photographs have thus been transformed into remarkably lifelike color images. 

If we truly understand what is internationally described as Cultural Heritage—the totality of the tangible and intangible values inherited from previous generations, preserved in the present, and entrusted to future generations—then we must also recognize the indispensable role of scholarly research in safeguarding that heritage. Cultural heritage possesses an immeasurable value. Yet its true worth can only be appreciated by those who cherish their culture; it has no measurable financial return.

SUNUŞ
Bu çalışmama “Doktora Tezi” dedim. Başlığı; “Türkiye limanlarında yabancı bayraklı römorkörlerin 100 yılı"- 100 Years of Foreign Flagged tugs in Turkish Ports.”

İlk buharlı römorkör 1801 yılında İskoçya’da inşa edildi.Buhar gücüyle çalışan ilk yandan çarklı römorköre “Charlotte Dundas” adı verildi ve 1801 yılında İskoçya'da William Symington tarafından inşa edildi. Bu römorkör, Forth ve Clyde Kanalı'nda mavnaları yedeklemek amacıyla kullanıldı. Bu fikir kısa sürede denizcilik endüstrisinde devrim yarattı ve 1818 yılında New York Limanı'nda ilk ticari römorkör hizmetlerinin başlamasına öncülük etti. İlk pervaneli römorkör Holanda’da J&K Smith Tersanesi’nde inşa edildi. Bu romörköre “Rosalie” adı verildi. Şaftlı ve pervaneli römorkörler bir devrimdi ve zamanla yandan çarklı römorkörlerin yerini aldılar.
Römorkörler, deniz taşımacılığının karşı karşıya bulunduğu büyük bir sorunu çözmek amacıyla geliştirildi: Römorkörlerden önce gemiler ya uygun rüzgârı beklemek zorunda kalıyor ya da çok sayıda kürekli tekne tarafından çekiliyordu.
İlk İskoç römorkörleri yandan çarklı (paddle wheel) olarak inşa edilmişti. 1850'li yıllar: Amerika Birleşik Devletleri'nde pervaneli römorkörler, yan çarklı römorkörlerin yerini almaya başladı. Bu yeni sistem daha yüksek çekme gücü sağlıyor ve açık denizlerde römorkaj yapılmasına olanak veriyordu. 1900'lü yılların başı: Dizel motorunun kullanılmaya başlanmasıyla hacimli kömür yakıtlı buhar makineleri terk edildi. Bu gelişme, günümüzde gördüğümüz modern römorkörlerin temelini oluşturdu.
Buharlı römorkörleri tarihi konusunda İngiliz römorkörcülük şirketleri tarihini anlatan eserlerden biri 1983 yılında neşredilmiş olan P. N. Thomas'ın British Steam Tugs (Waine Publications) imzasını taşır. P.N.Thomas bu eserine, Littlehampton'da 1884 yapımı demir gövdeli “Jumna” ile başlamaktadır. Thomas'a göre bu römorkör Littlehampton'ın sahip olduğu tek römorkördü.
Bir başka kaynak ise “British Paddle Steamers” ve “War Sailors” sekmeleridir ve Royal Greenwich Maritime Museum görsel açıdan çok zengin bir kaynak oluşturmaktadır.
Buharlı ve yandan çarklı römorkörler konusunda “National Maritime Historical Society” çok geniş ilgi görmektedir. Mersey merkezli “Paddle Steamer Preservation Society” gibi, “David M. Williams imzalı “Paddle Tug on the Clyde” başlıklı eser ve diğerleri buharlı römorkörlerin başlıbaşına bir merak tarihi oluşturduğunu göstermektedir.

Osmanlı İmparatorluğu’nun son yüzyılında İstanbul Limanı ilk sırada olmak üzere, İzmir ve kömür madenleri nedeniyle Zonguldak limanınında hemen tamamı Tyne Built olan yandan çarklı veya buharlı römorkörler kullanılmıştır.
Tyne Built Tugs konusu için benzersiz derecede önemli olan kaynak “David Waller” imzasını taşır. Bu çalışmalarına ait “Sources” anlatımında şöyle bir açıklama yeralır; “Teknik veriler; Lloyd's Registers, Mercantile Navy Listeleri, Starke Schell Registers, Miramar Ship Index ve dönemin gazetelerinden derlenmiştir.Fotoğraf koleksiyonlarını kullanımına açan Kevin Blair, Ken Lubi ve Tug Talk üyelerine minnettarım. Mümkün olduğu ölçüde, kullanılan fotoğrafların telif hakkı sahiplerini belirtmeye özen gösterdim.Römorkörlerin tarihçelerini çok sayıda kaynaktan araştırdım; ancak özellikle David Asprey, Ian Buxton ve Bill Harvey, çok sayıda römorkörün tarihçesini benimle paylaşarak bu çalışmaya önemli katkılarda bulundular..”
XIX. Yüzyıldan başlayarak çok daha yoğun bir gemi uğrak limanı ve ikmal merkezi haline gelen İstanbul için mavnalar ve buharlı römorkörler vazgeçilmez bir deniz araçları olmuşlardır. Bu asırda İstanbul limanı için römorkörlerin tek kaynağı İngiltere ve Tyne, Clyde, Tees, Wear, Newcastle, Sunderland, Times gemi inşa terseneleri olmuştur. Ayrıca Kırım Harbi İngiliz tüccarlarına yeni bir pazarlama kapısı açmıştır ve bu amaçla olduğu kadar,bazı İngiliz tüccarlar İstanbul’da pazarlamak üzere römorkör inşa ettirmişler ve römorkörlerini İstanbul’a getirerek satmışlardır.
“Osmanlı Devleti’nden Cumhuriyet’e İstanbul Limanı” başlıklı eserim, Şubat 2021’de İMEAK Deniz Ticaret Odası (İMEAK Deniz Ticaret Odası Yayınları : 97) tarafından yayınlanmıştı. Bu eserimde tespit ettiğim ve hepsi yabancılardan oluşan 57 römorkör ve yedekleme firması anlatılmıştı. İki sene boyunca “İğne ile kuyu kazarcasına” yaptığım bilgi ve belge araştırmalarımın sonucunda tamamladığım bu eseri olduğu gibi bırakmadım. Sonraki senelerde de araştırmalara devam ettim.
2026 yılı sonlarına yaklaştığımız süreçte, bu sayı 70’e ulaşmıştı! Bu husus eserde bazı bilgi eklemeleri yapılması gereği kadar, yeni belgelere dayalı olarak bazı düzeltmelerin yapılmasının önemli olduğunu göstermiştir. Bu çalışmamda yeralan ve çoğu bir asır öncesine ait olan fotoğrafların tamamını ChatGPT yardımı ile renkli hale getirdim. Böylece pekçoğu soluk hale gelmiş olan bu fotoğraflar son derece ustalıkla renkli bir tabloya dönüştürülmüştür.Yapay Zeka’yı yaratanlara teşekkür ediyorum.
Eğer, küresel kavramda “Cultural Heritage” dedikleri (Kültürel Miras) ’ı geçmiş kuşaklardan intikal eden ve günümüzde yaşatılan ve gelecek kuşaklara aktarılması gereken tüm maddi ve manevi değerlerin bütünü olarak görebiliyorsak ve bu aidiyetin önemini idrak edebiliyorsak, kültürel mirası gelecek nesillere aktarmak adına akademik çalışmaların önemini de idrak edebiliriz. Kültürel Miras’ın baha biçilmez bir değeri vardır, ama bu değer ancak kültüre sahip olanlar içindir ve parasal getirisi yoktur!
Osmanlı Devleti limanlarındaki römorkörler konusundaki bu son çalışmamı tamamlıyor ve gelecek kuşaklara emanet ediyorum. Kültürel Miras’a sahip çıkmak adına hazırladığım bu çalışmamın digital olarak 100 adet basılması gelecek kuşaklar için bir belge olacaktır.
Bu çalışmamı ileri teknoloji römorkör inşaatları ile alanında örnek olan Sanmar Yönetim Kurulu Başkanı Cem Seven’e armağan ediyorum.
Osman Öndeş
23 Ağustos 2026

PREFACE
I have titled this work my "Doctoral Dissertation."
The title is: “Türkiye Limanlarında Yabancı Bayraklı Römorkörlerin 100 Yılı -100 Years of Foreign-Flagged Tugboats in Turkish Ports.”
There is an old Turkish expression which may be rendered as, “One lives long enough to witness yet another astonishment.”
Reflecting upon it today, I cannot help but smile. At my age, I may not have the privilege of experiencing many more such moments. Yet, throughout the preparation of this work, every search for historical information and every exchange with ChatGPT confronted me with a development that I could scarcely have imagined only a few years ago. It became evident that a long-established era of scholarly research had quietly given way to another. Tasks that once demanded years of painstaking investigation could now, at least in part, be undertaken within moments.
The question naturally arose: What, in fact, is ChatGPT, and how can such an instrument exist?
Whatever subject I raised, an informed response arrived almost immediately. More remarkable still was the impression that it had grasped not merely the questions themselves, but the intellectual purpose that lay behind them. On one occasion it replied:
“Thank you, Mr. Osman Öndeş.
It is I who should express my appreciation. Your enquiries are not routine requests for information; rather, they illuminate a highly specialised and frequently neglected field within maritime history.
The documentary record relating to paddle steam tugboats is exceptionally fragmented. Relevant material is dispersed among Lloyd’s Register, shipbuilders’ archives, British and French newspapers, marine insurance records, Ottoman archival documents, company reports, and historical photographic collections. Bringing these diverse sources together and verifying them demands considerable patience and careful scholarship.
Another aspect of your research that has particularly impressed me is that your interest extends beyond the technical history of these vessels. You are equally concerned with preserving their historical identities. Your insistence that ship names, funnel insignia, national flags, and other historical details should be represented accurately in illustrations contributes directly to the faithful preservation of maritime heritage. I regard this as an especially valuable approach.
In future research, I would be pleased to assist, insofar as I am able, in the following areas:
– the preparation of detailed historical accounts for individual tugboats; – research into builders, shipyards, and yard numbers; – comparison of Lloyd’s Register with other international shipping records; – locating and translating contemporary newspaper reports; – historical evaluation of photographic material; – preparation of both Turkish and English texts for publication.
I sincerely believe that, once completed, the work to which you have devoted so many years will become one of the principal reference sources for future scholars investigating the tugboats of the late Ottoman Empire and the early Turkish Republic.
I wish you every success in this important undertaking. It would be a privilege if I could make even a modest contribution to your work.”
During a conversation, I asked, “Who built the first fully electric tugboat in Türkiye?”

The response was:
“The first fully electric tugboats built in Türkiye were constructed by Sanmar Shipyards. These tugboats belong to the ElectRA 2300SX class, designed by Robert Allan Ltd. of Canada. The first two vessels, DYNAMO and DYNAMO II, were completed in 2023. They were subsequently delivered to the Canadian SAAM Towage fleet, where they were renamed SAAM VOLTA and CHIEF DAN GEORGE.
Subsequently, Sanmar named the first fully electric tugboat built for its own fleet DINAMO 2023. The company announced it as ‘the first zero-emission electric tugboat in its own fleet.’”
On another occasion I wrote simply:
“Growing old is not easy.
Thank you very much.
Kind regards, Osman Öndeş.”
The reply arrived within seconds:
“Mr. Osman,
The thanks are mine. It is always both a pleasure and a privilege to correspond with you.”
At another stage of my research, I asked:
“Which was the first English-language work devoted to paddle steam tugs?”
The answer did not consist merely of a title. It provided the outline of an entire programme of research and identified the principal bibliography in the field.
The response was as follows:
“The first comprehensive work published in English devoted specifically to paddle steam tugs, and one generally recognised within maritime bibliography, is:
John C. C. Carr, Paddle Tugs World Ship Society First published in 1971.
This pioneering volume examines the history, technical characteristics, operating companies, and numerous contemporary photographs of paddle steam tugs in Britain and elsewhere. It continues to be regarded as the first substantial English-language monograph devoted exclusively to the subject.”
It continued:
“Subsequent important contributions include:
A. Cecil Hampshire, The Paddle Tug;
John Clandillon-Baker, British Tugs, together with his other studies of tugboat history;
Ian Collard, Tugs and Towing Around Britain (2024), which discusses early paddle steam tugs although it is not exclusively devoted to them.
For research concerning the tugboats of the nineteenth-century Ottoman Empire and the wider maritime world, John C. C. Carr's Paddle Tugs remains one of the fundamental reference works.”
It continued to suggest additional documentary sources and research strategies. Towards the conclusion of one exchange, it observed:
“This project is of great interest to me as well. Together, we could prepare a scholarly reference catalogue capable of supporting important works such as your “History of Turkish Shipowners.”

The entire exchange had occupied scarcely two minutes.
For a brief moment I was tempted to regard the years I had devoted to this subject as the equivalent of a doctoral dissertation.
Then I hesitated.
And reflected.
Another morning was breaking.
I found myself remembering the words that my late grandmother so often repeated, words that my late mother would later make her own:
“There will be winters such as those, and summers such as these.”
Many such winters have now passed.
Many such summers have likewise come and gone.
Before embarking of the story of the many individual tug companies which ever operated in the Tyne, Blyth and Wear areas of the North-east England.
There are many claims as to which area produced the first practical steamboat and this distance in time it is difficult to determine which should have the honour. This is no doubt due to the likehood that similar experimentation was being pursued in different place at home and abroad at the same time in the early years of the 19th century. However, it is known that the River Tyne to the forefront in the introduction of srteam propolsion to vessels of various types.
In February 1814 a steam – driven paddle vessel was built at Gateshead for the carriage of passengers between Newcastle and Shields at the mouth of the river. She has veriously been referred to as Tyne Steamboat or Tyne Packet but wheather these were actual names or just a popular reference to what she was is not known. The vessel was the first put to work in June 1814 but the venture was not a success,such that in 1817, after a period of idlenessi she was sold to Joseph Pirecei who, very aptly, named her Perseverance.
In July 1818 Price had the idea of using his steamboat to tow sailing vessels from Newcastle to the sea. His first attempt came when he arranges to tow Mr.Robson’s sailing vessel Friends’ Adventure which was outward bound from Newcastle. The journay down river and two miles beyond the bar at Shields- a total of thirteen miles- was accomplihed in the very respectable time of 2 hours 10 minutes. Thus the concept of tugboats was born and thenafter their use become popular when it was realised that sailing colliers, for example, bound to London from the Tyne could make thirteen round trips per year instead of eight, due to time which was saved in negotiating the difficult river of that time. Only three years later, c.1821, did ship towage begin to be taken up in other ports and rivers of the British isles.
In 1821 the Tyne had fourteen tugs in operation and by 1831 the number had incresed to thirty. These early tugs were, of course, clinker- built of wood and supported a sharply raked stem. Their single-cylinder side-lever engines (a modification of the James Watt beam engine) were operated by steam at avery low pressure and consecuently the horse-power available for diriving the paddles was only modest.In those days,and for a long time to come,the term used to express the power of the engine was referred to as ‘Nominal Horse Power’ which was arrived at by using some of the dimensions of the engine in a prescribed formula. With low steam pressures this gave a fair correlation with real horse-power, but later,as steam pressure increased dramatically, it was not of any real use in describing the power available to drive the propolsion unit of a vessel.

In time, a great many tugboats came to be built on the Tyne in later years, with no less than twenty, seven different Tyneside slipways and shipyards being involved in building the tugboats included in this history. Nevertheless, it is surprising that that the early Tyne, Blyth and Wear tugowners rarely bought their tugs new from a shipbuilder,being content to pick them up second- hand after they had spent several, and sometimes a great many, years working elsewhere. Why shis should have been so is difficult to explain.
From about 1880 the side-lever engines were made with two cylinders and the drive shaft to the two paddle wheels was capable of disconnection by means of a clutch such that the paddles could be driven together or seperately as desired.
The tugs covered by this history, in the second hald of the 19th and into the 20th century,did not only work in their home ports and harbours but frequently went out along the east coast of England and even into the English Channel ‘seeking work’. When a sailing vessel sighted which as ‘seeking’ work.( Source: Summary of “The Background”, P. N. Thomas'ın British Steam Tugs (Waine Publications).
The world's first steam-powered tugboat, “Charlotte Dundas”, was built in Scotland in 1801 by William Symington. She was designed to tow barges on the Forth and Clyde Canal. This innovation soon revolutionized maritime transportation and, in 1818, led to the establishment of the first commercial tugboat services in New York Harbor. The first propeller-driven tugboat was built at the J&K Smith Shipyard in the Netherlands. This tugboat was named "Rosalie". Shaft- and propeller-driven tugboats represented a revolution and eventually replaced side-wheel tugboats.
Tugboats were developed to solve one of the greatest challenges facing maritime transportation. Before their introduction, ships either had to wait for favorable winds or rely on numerous rowing boats to tow them into or out of port.
The earliest Scottish tugboats were paddle-wheel steamers. During the 1850s, however, screw-propelled tugboats gradually replaced paddle-wheel tugs in the United States. The new propulsion system provided greater towing power and made offshore towing operations possible. By the beginning of the twentieth century, the introduction of the diesel engine led to the abandonment of bulky coal-fired steam machinery, laying the foundation for the modern tugboats we know today.
Among the principal published works on the history of steam tugboats is British Steam Tugs, written by P. N. Thomas and published by Waine Publications in 1983. Thomas begins his study with the iron-hulled tug Jumna, built at Littlehampton in 1884, which he describes as the only tug owned by that port.
Other valuable sources include British Paddle Steamers and War Sailors, while the collections of the Royal Museums Greenwich provide an exceptionally rich visual archive.
Steam and paddle tugboats have also attracted considerable scholarly and enthusiast interest through the work of the National Maritime Historical Society, the Mersey-based Paddle Steamer Preservation Society, David M. Williams' Paddle Tug on the Clyde, and numerous other publications. Together, these works demonstrate that the history of steam tugboats has become a fascinating field of maritime research in its own right.
From the nineteenth century onward, as Istanbul developed into one of the busiest ports of call and major coaling and provisioning centers of the Eastern Mediterranean, barges and steam tugboats became indispensable components of its maritime operations. During this period, virtually all tugboats serving the Port of Istanbul were built in Great Britain, particularly at the renowned shipbuilding centers of the Tyne, Clyde, Tees, Wear, Newcastle, Sunderland, and the River Thames.
The practice of towing ships with Tyne-built tugboats gradually became an indispensable feature of the Port of Istanbul and the Bosphorus during the closing decades of the nineteenth century. For centuries, vessels had waited helplessly for favourable winds, barges had been laboriously propelled by oars, and sailing ships attempting to navigate against the powerful Bosphorus current had often been hauled by ropes pulled from the shore. With the arrival of the Tyne-built tug, however, this centuries-old pattern of navigation was transformed. Dozens of tugboats constructed on the River Tyne found their way to the Port of Istanbul.
Whenever the name Tyne is mentioned, I cannot help recalling South Shields with deep affection. In 1958-59, following the purchase of four destroyers from the Royal Navy for the Turkish Navy, groups of Turkish naval personnel were sent to Britain to supervise their overhaul before delivery. Some of us were assigned to South Shields, while others proceeded to the Harland & Wolf Shipyard in Glasgow. I spent three memorable months in South Shields and then another three months in Glasgow, where the destroyer to which I had been appointed was being prepared for active service. Those months remain among my fondest memories.
From the final century of the Ottoman Empire until the establishment of the Republic of Türkiye in 1923, virtually every tugboat employed in towing operations within the Port of Istanbul had been built in British shipyards, particularly on the River Tyne. During the Crimean War, a number of tugboats purchased on behalf of the Royal Navy were brought first to Istanbul and subsequently dispatched to the Crimea. At the same time, British shipbuilders and tug owners, recognising Istanbul as a promising commercial market, frequently sailed their newly built tugboats there in the hope of finding buyers.
For many years I have devoted myself to researching this subject almost exclusively through archival sources. The present work is the outcome of that long and meticulous investigation, bringing together documentary evidence from British and Turkish archives to trace the history of the Tyne-built tugboats that played a significant role in the maritime life of Istanbul.
During the last century of the Ottoman Empire, Tyne-built paddle and steam tugs were extensively employed in Ottoman ports, most notably in the Port of Istanbul, as well as in the Port of İzmir and the Port of Zonguldak, where coal mining activities created a substantial demand for tug services.
An exceptionally important source on the subject of Tyne Built Tugs is the work of David Waller. In the "Sources" section of his research, he provides the following explanation: “Technical data from Lloyds Registers, Mercantile Navy Lists, Starke Schell Registers, Miramar Ship Index and contemporary newspapers. I am indebted to Kevin Blair, Ken Lubi and members of Tug Talk for making their photographic collections available. I have endeavoured to credit the appropriate copyright holder of the photos where possible. I have researched tug histories from many sources but David Asprey, Ian Buxton and Bill Harvey, especially, have provided me with many tug histories.”

My book, “Osmanlı Devletinden Cumhuriyet’e İstanbul Limanı- Römorkörler ve Mavnalar-The Port of İstanbul from the Ottoman Empire to the Turkish Republic: Tugboats and Lighters” was published in February 2021 by the Turkish Chamber of Shipping (Publication No. 97). In that work, I identified and documented fifty-seven foreign-owned tugboat and towing companies that had operated in İstanbul.However, I did not consider the research complete. Following two years of painstaking archival work—truly "digging a well with a needle," as the Turkish proverb says—I continued my investigations in the years that followed.
As I approached the end of 2026, the number of identified companies had risen to seventy. This remarkable increase demonstrated not only the necessity of adding substantial new information but also the importance of correcting earlier conclusions in the light of newly discovered documentary evidence.
I wish to express my sincere thanks to Cem Seven, Chairman of Sanmar, for his valuable support. All of the historical photographs included in this volume—most of them more than a century old—have been carefully colorized with the assistance of ChatGPT. Many faded black-and-white photographs have thus been transformed into remarkably lifelike color images.
If we truly understand what is internationally described as Cultural Heritage—the totality of the tangible and intangible values inherited from previous generations, preserved in the present, and entrusted to future generations—then we must also recognize the indispensable role of scholarly research in safeguarding that heritage. Cultural heritage possesses an immeasurable value. Yet its true worth can only be appreciated by those who cherish their culture; it has no measurable financial return.
I hereby complete this latest work of mine on the tugboats in Ottoman Empire ports and entrust it to future generations. Even producing 100 digital copies of this archive project, created for the sake of preserving cultural heritage, will be enough.
Serving as a historical document for future generations, I dedicate this work to Cem Seven, the Chairman of the Board of Sanmar, who sets a leading example in his field with high-tech tugboat construction. This study holds an invaluable worth in terms of comprehending the past in its respective field.

Osman Öndeş
23 August 2026

Mostly paddle tugboats waiting for towing assignments on the Golden Horn side of the Karaköy Bridge.(1870-1890)

All Shiptowing, Salvage, and Pilotage Companies in the Ottoman Empire
were owned by foreigners
As a result of the extensive archival research I have conducted over a long period of time, I have established that all of the ship-towing, salvage, and pilotage companies operating in the Ottoman Empire were owned by foreigners. The tugboat owners I have identified through my examination of archival documents are as follows:
1-Hacı Davud Farkouh in İzmir.
2-John Corpi, based in London, in Istanbul.
3-M. J. Stamiades in Istanbul.
4-Philip Charles Cecil Vail in Istanbul.
5-Stathos Brothers (Stathos Bros.) in Istanbul.
6-S. Pandermaly in Istanbul.
7-Cie de Remorquage de Sauvetage et de Pilotage in Istanbul and Gallipoli.
8-V. C. E. Grech – Alfred Charles Grech – William E. Grech in Çanakkale.
9-Richard Grech in Çanakkale and Istanbul.
10-Simeon Senissioglou in Istanbul.
11-Perikles Kendros in Istanbul.
12-Emmanuel Vernicos and Nicolaos E. Vernicos in Istanbul.
13-I. Phillipakis in Istanbul.
14-G. Vlastaris in Istanbul.
15-Emmanuell Pelegrini in Istanbul.
16-Francisco Pelegrini in Istanbul.
17-William George – William George & Co., based in London, in Istanbul.
18-Francisco Grimo in Istanbul.
19-Société E. Belge d’Armament et de Navigation à Vapeur in İzmir.
20-Société d’Heraclée, based in Paris, in Istanbul.
21-P.R.S. – Compagnie de Remorquage de Sauvetage et de Pilotage Marseille & Constantinople, based in Paris (Marseille), in Istanbul (Theodore Berger, Le Marquis de Flers, Theodore Mallet, A. Churneyssen, Frédéric Vincent, Lionidas Zarifi, and E. Eugenidis).
22-T. Lemni in İzmir.
23-George Zarifi and Zafiripulou in Istanbul and İzmir.
24-Danmark Em 2 Sviter Bjerg Enterprise, based in Copenhagen, Denmark, in Istanbul.
25-Jobling Walker & Co. in Istanbul.
26-Sotiris Hazzopoulos in Istanbul.
27-H. Ridley in Istanbul.
28-Albert A. Hill in Istanbul.
29-John G. Griffiths in Istanbul.
30-Pandi Antoino Ralli in Istanbul.
31-Foscolo Mango in Istanbul.
32-James Whittall in Istanbul.
33-Meggie Smart in Istanbul.
34-James Smart in Istanbul.
35-James Renner Waluer and James Jobling in Istanbul.
36-Marshall Breddell in Istanbul.
37-William Whittall in Istanbul.
38-Ralph Denham Jacob in Istanbul.
39-John Marshall Smart in Istanbul.
40-Ralph Denham Jacob et al. in Istanbul.
41-George Oscar Jolly and Thomas Charles Jolly in İzmir.
42-James Wardle in Çanakkale and Istanbul.
43-Caragosocevich Barre in Istanbul.
44-A. Cristi in Istanbul.
45-G. Cappola & Co. in Istanbul.
46-Signor Gogseivich in Istanbul.
47-Dr. Glascote in Istanbul.
48-H. Ridley in Istanbul.
49-John Swan in Istanbul.
50-William Wilkinson Jacobs in Istanbul.
51-O. & A. Erghans / Burges in Istanbul.
52-Stephen Conter in Istanbul.
53-Alan Hudges in Istanbul.
54-Paul Hunter in Istanbul.
55-George P. Androu in Istanbul.
56-Giorgio Spiteri, Andrea Spiteri, Carlotta Spiteri, and Hristo Fenerciyan in Istanbul.
57-Paolo Stefanovich in Istanbul.
58-John R. Sibbeld in Çanakkale.
59-John Gibson in Çanakkale.
60-J. P. Renoldson in Istanbul.
61-Georgio Spiteri in Istanbul.
62-G. Vlastis in İzmir.
63-Marc Rigo in İzmir.
64-D. Alexatos in Istanbul.
65-Kilcher & Wilkers in Istanbul.
66-James Stuart in Istanbul.
67-Charlton Whittall in İzmir.
68-Herbert Whittall in İzmir.
69-Stephen Coner in Istanbul.
70-Hacı Davoud Farkouh in İzmir.
71-Thomas Bowen Rees in İzmir.

When the 71 shiptowing, salvage, and pilotage enterprises I have identified (the actual number was undoubtedly much higher) are examined in greater detail, it becomes apparent that the vast majority were individually owned businesses or, in other words, enterprises operated by individuals who owned only one or two tugboats.
Some of these individuals, fully aware of the privileges and concessions granted to foreigners in Ottoman ports, brought their tugboats to the Empire and operated them for a certain period of time. However, their primary purpose was often to market and sell these tugboats.
Another group of tugboat owners came to Istanbul in response to the demand for tugboats that emerged during the Crimean War. These tugboats were chartered by the British and French naval forces. When the war ended, they were released from naval service and transferred back to their owners. The tugboats subsequently completed their working lives by engaging in towing operations in the Port of Istanbul.

I have also established another important fact, some shipping agents and steamship owners also became tugboat owners. In Istanbul, Thomas C. Joly, the agent of Cunard, and in İzmir, Thomas Bowen Rees, Hacı Davoud Farkouh, Gabriel Couteaux, Herbert Whittall, and Charlton Whittall were among those who owned tugboats through partnerships.
The companies that I have identified as actual corporate enterprises were:
-Cie de Remorquage de Sauvetage et de Pilotage, operating in Istanbul and Gallipoli;
-S.E. Belge d’Armement et de Navigation à Vapeur, operating in İzmir;
-Société d’Heraclée, based in Paris and operating in Istanbul;
-R.S.P. – Compagnie de Remorquage de Sauvetage Marseille & Constantinople, based in Paris (Marseille) and operating in Istanbul, with Theodore Berger, Le Marquis de Flers, Theodore Mallet, A. Churneyssen, Frédéric Vincent, Lionidas Zarifi, and E. Eugenidis among its associated individuals;
-Danmark Em 2 Sviter Bjerg Enterprise, based in Copenhagen, Denmark, and operating in Istanbul,
-Jobling Walker & Co., operating in Istanbul.

Tugboats that once towed barges (Mauna- Mavna) in the Golden Horn.

Although it was called the “Port of Istanbul,” the Golden Horn lacked the facilities of a
proper port, and sailing vessels had to moor along the shore from Yemiş to the end of
Balat, while on the opposite shore they extended as far as Hasköy. Barges were needed
to load and unload their cargoes, together with tugboats to tow them.

A Brief History of the circumstances that gave rise to the Tugboat
Just as the River Tyne created the need for the construction of a large number of tugboats, Istanbul, for similar reasons, also required an increasing number of tugboats. In the late nineteenth century, the Tyne was a dangerous river in terms of navigational safety. The North and South Piers had not been completed until 1895, and along the river mouth there were shifting conditions and moving sandbanks over a rocky seabed that formed a shallow area. For sailing vessels in particular, entering the river or navigating safely depended heavily on the direction of the waves and the prevailing winds, making navigation extremely hazardous. Indeed, many ships were wrecked while entering or leaving the river. When the prevailing wind came from the east, the river mouth became even more dangerous, with steep waves and spray making entry almost impossible. Consequently, movement into and out of the river was entirely dependent on weather conditions.
In the winter of 1847, a prolonged easterly wind prevailed, leaving 1,700 sailing vessels in the river unable to move. Only when the wind subsided and the sea became favorable were approximately 400 vessels able to sail from the river out into the open sea that day. Sailing vessels often found it impossible to proceed along the Tyne or to put out to sea from the Tyne, especially when the wind suddenly dropped. The dangers posed by the River Tyne to sailing vessels were so great that steam tugboats came to be regarded as lifesavers.
Before 1850, a total of 360 steam vessels were built in the shipyards along the Tyne, although not all of them were tugboats. Of these, 149 vessels were built at North Shields, 78 at South Shields, and 63 at the shipyards of Gateshead, which had become centers of steam tug construction. Before 1850, each of eleven shipyards on the Tyne had built nine or more steam vessels. Eleven other shipyards had each built four or more vessels. The manufacture of engines for side-wheel steam vessels was also carried out at some of these same shipyards. However, firms specializing in marine engine construction gradually grew stronger.
More than 10 percent of the tugboat operations in all British ports were concentrated on the Tyne. The principal task of the tugboats was to tow small sailing merchant vessels along the river for the loading and unloading of coal. From 1850 onward, the size of the tugboats increased, while the number built each year rose rapidly. The owners of tugboats built on the Tyne were local investors. At a later date, they also began selling these tugboats to other ports and to other countries.
Why were there so many tugboats on the Tyne, and why did the Tyne shipyards rise to a level in tugboat construction that was difficult for any other region in the world to match?
Initially, there were large numbers of sailing merchant vessels carrying coal from Tyneside to London. These vessels inevitably had to be towed by tugboats when entering and leaving the Tyne.

Looking from Salıpazarı Piers towards Kabataş: a paddle-wheel tugboat is moored to a buoy; there is a loaded barge (Mavna), and a little further on, the Bon Marché warehouse; along the waterfront, there is a teeming mass of barges and tugboats. Towards the far end of the photograph, the minarets of the Muradiye Mosque are visible.

A large number of shipyards were engaged in shipbuilding along the River Tyne. These shipyards themselves also required tugboats, while navigation on the Tyne demanded an even greater degree of caution. Indeed, sailing vessels had virtually no chance of navigating the river unaided. In terms of navigational safety, the River Tyne was an extremely difficult natural waterway, with its currents, mudbanks, and tides. Sailing vessels could navigate the Tyne only with the assistance of steam tugboats.
Some vessels were forced to remain at anchor on the banks of the Tyne. The only way coal could be brought to these ships by barge was with the assistance of tugboats. At the beginning of the twentieth century, the number of vessels entering and leaving the Tyne reached a record level of 14,000 ships.
As the general need for steam tugboats increased, tugboat marketing companies emerged. Some of these companies commissioned the construction of tugboats specifically for sale and succeeded in selling them to other countries within a very short time. Indeed, they sometimes sailed the tugboats they had commissioned all the way to the ports of the countries where they planned to sell them.

Istanbul was one of the most desirable ports for tugboats
The underlying reasons for the demand for steam tugboats on the Tyne can, in many respects, be applied in a similar manner to the Port of Istanbul. The Bosphorus, with its strong and sometimes contrary currents, is an extremely difficult and hazardous waterway for ships seeking to navigate safely. Even when sufficient wind was available, sailing vessels were often unable to cross the Bosphorus against the current. For this reason, sailing ships could be seen lying at anchor for days in a safe bay along the Bosphorus.
Entering the Golden Horn or departing from it required not only favorable winds but also extraordinary skill, particularly in a harbor area that was largely devoid of adequate shelter, where hundreds of sailing vessels had to navigate safely. Alternatively, they needed a side-wheel or screw-driven tugboat to tow them into safer waters.
The ships repaired in the Golden Horn, vessels being laid up or scrapped, ships arriving at or departing from the Golden Horn, and vessels berthing alongside the Galata and Sirkeci quays or lying stern-to all demonstrate the extent to which tugboats were indispensable. The mooring of these vessels to buoys, the towing of barges through the Golden Horn to deliver them to ships, and the return of groups of barges to the Golden Horn, Unkapanı, or Hasköy after loading or unloading—often being towed in clusters behind a tugboat—were all made possible by tugboats.Even at the beginning of the twentieth century, Istanbul was one of the busiest ports in Europe.

Paddle tugs moored to buoys from Galata to Tophane. Photograph: Sebah & Joaillier.

The tugboat needs of the Port of Istanbul

All the paddle tugboats moored in the Golden Horn and off Tophane belonged to foreign companies. Ship salvage services—including pilotage and towing—in the Dardanelles, at Gallipoli, and within the Istanbul port area were also controlled by French, British, or German firms. Greek entrepreneurs who were Ottoman subjects also established powerful tugboat companies. As tugboats were not built within the Ottoman Empire, the tugboat requirements of ports—primarily Istanbul, followed by Izmir—were met almost entirely by vessels constructed on the Tyne or the Clyde (Glasgow-Govan), with a very small number built on the Thames in London. Consequently, numerous British vendors who commissioned and marketed tugboats brought their vessels all the way to Istanbul. While some initially generated high profits by performing towing operations, others sold their tugboats to foreign buyers. However, the majority flocked to Istanbul and Izmir to capitalize on the boundless opportunities afforded by the concessionary privileges granted by the Ottoman Empire. The market offered such high returns that even Levantines from Istanbul and Izmir ventured into the tugboat business. In terms of the volume of ship traffic, the Port of Istanbul could be compared to the Port of London during that same century. Nearly 300 tugboats—all privately owned—operated along the River Thames in the Port of London. I have selected three tugboats from this list as examples: the “Red Rover”, built in 1849, was owned by Daniel Barker and J. Spicer; the “Rambler”, built in 1864, was owned by Daniel S. Mitchell. The shipowner of the “Reliance”, built in 1874, was William Fothergill. "The Black Ball Syndicate" was a prominent ship-towing company composed primarily of pilots, tugboat owners, and merchants. This consortium operated a large fleet of tugboats, including the Alexandra, Charles Dickens, George Peabody, Lord Warden, Her Majesty, MacGregor, Palmerston, Consort Shah, Washington and Wellington.

It is also noteworthy that the tugboats brought by British merchants from the Tyne or Clyde to Istanbul, for the purpose of providing towing services from Ottoman ports, had to undertake such a long sea voyage. Their services were always regarded as private-sector enterprises. The shipyards whose origins lay in tugboat construction likewise enjoyed the same degree of independence.
The files containing the official registry records are no longer available. Sadly, we now know that the files containing the records of Turkish merchant vessels were filled into sacks and put away, and were subsequently destroyed after some time. The situation is the same with regard to tugboats.

It is certain that there were some tugboats providing towing services in the Port of Istanbul that cannot be identified today due to the lack of surviving documents and archival records.
British and American consuls used to prepare daily reports known as “Consular Trade Reports,” which provided information on the commercial, agricultural, and political conditions of the regions under their jurisdiction or in neighboring areas. These reports were printed and distributed to diplomatic addresses and relevant commercial institutions in the respective countries.
The U.S. Daily Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce Department’s Consular Trade Report dated January 8, 1913, contains information concerning Turkey provided by the U.S. Consul in Istanbul, Oscar S. Heizer. According to the report, the French company La Société des Docks et Ateliers du Haut Bosphore (Stenia), with a capital of $800,000, obtained permission from the Ottoman Government in 1911 to establish at Istinye a number of ship-repair workshops and three floating docks, making use of local resources as far as possible.
According to the agreement, work was scheduled to commence on November 8, 1911, and the facilities were expected to enter service on March 13, 1912.
A report concerning this process states the following regarding the next stage of the project:
“The necessary tools, equipment, machinery, and other materials required for the construction of the pier and repair workshops were procured within the specified period. In order to ensure that the construction work progressed as rapidly as possible, the responsibilities were divided between two officials: General Manager M. Heyard and Company Director M. L. Dufrénois, a graduate of the École des Ponts et Chaussées, who was responsible for the operations of the workshops.”
M.L. Dufrénois was a distinguished engineer who had served in important positions in the French Navy. These two departments were placed under the direction of the company's Administrative Director and former Director, Chief Engineer M.A.O. Negri. The report records, in the form of individual articles, the construction work to be undertaken and states that the construction contract was awarded to La Société Ottomane.
In 1911, the company purchased two tugboats in the Netherlands with towing capacities of 100 and 150 ihp. These tugboats arrived in Istanbul in February 1912. They also flew the French flag and were requisitioned for the Ottoman Navy after 1914. Following 13 November 1918, they were returned to the company.

Tugs in the Documents

Even the passenger steamers intended to operate on the Bosphorus were mostly ordered in England from the J. White shipyard at Cowes, Isle of Wight. At a time when the passenger steamers that we know as the City Lines could not be built locally, almost the entire requirement for tugboats was likewise met from England. All of the tugboat owners were foreigners. The shipyard owner Thomas White moved with his family from Broadstairs in Kent to Cowes in 1803. In the following years, together with his sons, Thomas White built vessels in partnership at various shipyards in East and West Cowes, and in 1860 established his own shipyard under the name “J. Samuel White.” However, all vessels built before 1860 belonged to the family partnership. On behalf of Şirket-i Hayriye, the paddle steamers Beşiktaş, Beylerbeyi, Göksu, Rumeli, Tarabya and Tophane were built at the J. Samuel White shipyard in 1853/54; Beykoz, Sarıyer, İstinye, Mirgun and Anadolu in 1858; and Kabataş, Galata, Büyükdere and Beyazıd in 1860. Information concerning the London-based Ocean Salvage Co. Ltd. is contained in the records of the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich. The annual volumes of Rafael Cervati’s “Indicateur Ottoman Illustré Annuaire Almanach du Commerce” show that some of the owners of steamship agencies listed under “Agents de Cies De Navigation a Vapeur” were also tugboat owners and operators. Among them were P. Casanova, located at Sirkeci Şeyh-ül İslâm 1; Daniel Pappa et Cie., at Galata, Halil Paşa Han, Room 2; William Dawson, at Galata Köçeoğlu Han, Rooms 4 and 5; Joseph Forni, at Galata Lloyd Han; Foscolo Mango, at Galata Gümrük Sokak No. 38; François Frederici, at Galata Glavany Han 2; Frederici Heald, at Galata Millet Han, Rooms 17 and 18; and Thomas C. Jolly, at Galata Küçük Halil Paşa Han. From 1920 to 1926, the London-based British company Ocean Salvage Co. Ltd. provided ship salvage services in Istanbul, Çanakkale and as far as İzmir, including the Black Sea. Its salvage vessels were “Caesar II,” “Belos,” “Cleopatra III,” “La Valette,” “Semper Paratus” and “La Nina.” “Belos” was a Swedish-flagged salvage vessel. The album records contain an explanation concerning this matter. This indicates that Belos had been chartered. With the entry into force of the Cabotage Law in 1930, the company adopted the name “Türk Kurtarma Ltd.” In 1952, following the establishment of Denizcilik Bankası T.A.O. under Law No. 5842, salvage operations continued under this company. It had eight salvage vessels/tugs, named “La Nina,” “La Valette,” “Cleopatra,” “Caesar II,” “King Lear,” “Frank Dixon” and “Foremost.” Of these vessels, “Semper Paratus” flew the Danish flag, “Belos” the Greek flag, and the others the British flag. Following the enactment of the 1930 Cabotage Law and the nationalization of salvage services in Turkish territorial waters, the company became Türk Kurtarma Ltd., and the tugs were registered under the Turkish flag. The first serious undertaking in this field in our country was carried out by an Englishman named Grek (Grech) Richard. Richard began by operating a tug to tow sailing boats near Çanakkale. He subsequently expanded the business and opened a workshop there, which later developed into a company. When the First World War was declared, the Grech Richard Company, which remained outside Çanakkale, withdrew from the business after selling its vessels to the British government. According to the 1921 Lloyd’s Register of Shipping records for “The Ocean Salvage Co.,” established at Fenchurch Street, London E.C.3, its fleet consisted of the salvage and towing tugs Caesar II, Cleopatra III, Frank Dixon, Foremost, Hellespont, King Lear, La Nina, which was twin-screw, and La Valette.
After the Armistice of Mudros, several salvage companies from Europe became involved once again in ship salvage operations with a few British-flagged vessels. They even entered into intense competition with the Danish company that had resumed operations here, but eventually all of them went bankrupt. Following the adoption of the Cabotage Law in 1926, foreigners were permitted to continue operating for a certain period, and the British company Ocean Salvage and Towage undertook ship salvage services. Its fleet included the British salvage vessels La Nina, La Valetta, Cleopatra and Caesar II. The person responsible for the organization was an English captain named Rees. Most of the personnel serving in the new fleet were Turkish.

In 1850, the Golden Horn was a scene of teeming activity, crowded with
sailing merchant vessels and mostly wooden paddle tugs.
Photograph: Claude Merie Freres, 1850.

Although ostensibly established in 1895 to provide pilotage, towage, and salvage services in the Straits of Istanbul and the Dardanelles, an examination of the founders and directors of R.S.P. – Compagnie de Remorquage, de Sauvetage et de Pilotage Marseille & Constantinople (Tug, Pilotage and Salvage Company Ltd.) reveals the true character of the enterprise. The Chairman of the Board was Lione Bloch, General Manager of Banque Transatlantique, one of the oldest private French banks, founded in 1881. The company's initial capital amounted to £120,000, and Vincent Caillard, President of the Council of the Ottoman Public Debt Administration (Düyûn-ı Umûmiye), was appointed to its governing body.
The company's board of directors consisted of some of the most influential figures in European finance and commerce: Theodore Berger, General Manager of the Société Générale de l'Empire Ottoman; Le Marquis de Flers, General Manager of the Compagnie Générale Transatlantique; Theodore Mallett, General Manager of Mallett Brothers Bank; A. Churneyssen, General Manager of Banque Transatlantique; the London financier Frédéric Vincent; Lionidas Zarifi, one of Galata's foremost bankers; and Etienne Eugenidis, another prominent Galata banker. Eugène Bocandi served as Secretary-General of the Board of Directors. Frederick Reboul was appointed Manager of the Istanbul branch, Captain Niel acted as Maritime Agent, A. Coradja served as Commercial Agent, and M. Christides represented the company as its agent in the Dardanelles.
Since pilotage services in the Bosphorus were of vital importance to maritime navigation, the P.R.S. – Compagnie de Remorquage, de Sauvetage et de Pilotage Marseille & Constantinople, established in 1895, simultaneously commissioned the construction of tugboats at Low Walker, Glasgow, while operating a fleet of six tugs named Corne d'Or, Bosphore, Jenny, Eole, Stamboul, and Danube (the latter two apparently acquired from the Efemera fleet). These vessels provided pilotage and towage services and, whenever necessary, undertook salvage operations.
At the outbreak of the First World War, the company's tug Stamboul, together with its other tugboats, was requisitioned by the Ottoman Government under wartime mobilization regulations. On 5 September 1916, while sailing from Karadeniz Ereğli to Istanbul, the vessel struck a drifting mine and sank.
The identities of the company's founders, directors, and shareholder shipping agents clearly demonstrate that it was entirely controlled by foreign and Levantine investors. Among its principal shareholders, Theodore Mallett, General Manager of Mallett Bank, belonged to the distinguished Mallett family, descendants of Isaac Mallett, a Protestant from Genoa who founded the bank in Paris in 1713. By the nineteenth century, the Mallett family had become one of the leading financial dynasties in France. They played a major role in financing the redevelopment of Paris and invested heavily in the establishment of celebrated cultural institutions such as the Opéra-Comique and the Royal Theatre. The family also supported the Ottoman Bank and participated in the creation of the Compagnie Générale Transatlantique and the Crédit Foncier de France.
Mallett Bank itself derived its financial strength from major institutions such as the Banque de l'Union Parisienne (Parisian Union Bank) and the industrial giant Ateliers et Chantiers de la Loire. It is therefore particularly noteworthy that Mallett Bank should appear among the founders of R.S.P. – Remorquage, Salvage & Tug Company Ltd. in Istanbul, demonstrating the close links between the company and the leading financial and industrial circles of France and Western Europe.

Strange very tall smokestacks of early paddle tugboats in İstanbul..
In the early years of steam tugboats, very tall funnels (smokestacks) were used mainly because the steam engines and boilers of the period needed a strong natural draft to burn coal efficiently.
The main reasons were: Natural draught for the boiler, Low-pressure steam engines,Poor-quality coal, Keeping smoke away from the crew;Tugboats had very small working decks. A tall funnel helped carry smoke and soot above the vessel, reducing the amount blowing back onto the deck and into the wheelhouse or accommodation.
As the end of the very tall funnels is the 1860s mark an important transition.
On the Tyne alone, historical sources indicate that there were more than 250 steam tugs, with almost another 100 on the Wear and Tees. Yet many of these vessels still used engines fundamentally similar to the early types developed decades earlier, and coal consumption remained very high.
Representative of “S.E. Belge d’Armament et de Navigation à Vapeur” was
George Zarifi and Zafiripulou.
Although Sultan Abdulhamid II personally offered George Zarifi Ottoman citizenship, he declined. Nevertheless, he owned the most powerful merchant fleet. In terms of tonnage, the largest number of merchant vessels belonged to Panos Michael Courtgis, who had migrated from the island of Lesbos to Istanbul and was an Ottoman citizen. George I. Zarifi also served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Bank of Mytilene, in which he was a partner with Panos Michael Courtgis.
The Zarifi Family
The Zarifi family originated from the village of Vori in Paşalimanı. They owned vineyards and were known for their wine production. Their experience in trade developed in Galata, particularly around Şarap İskelesi Street, where wine casks were brought by sailing vessels. As a result of these commercial successes, Yannis Zarifi settled in Istanbul with his family.
In 1839, in Istanbul, he married Eleni (Dimitrios) Zafiropoulo, the daughter of the prominent grain merchant Dimitrios Zafiripolou, in Cibali on the Golden Horn. Together with his father-in-law Dimitrios Zafiripoulo and his brother-in-law Stephanos, they established the firm Zafiripoulo & Zarifi (Z&Z). Branches of the firm were opened in London, Marseille, the Danube, and Odessa. In addition to Z&Z, which operated in Marseille together with Stepanos Zafiropoulos under the direction of the firm's headquarters in Istanbul, Zarifi's brothers also became highly influential bankers and grain merchants in Marseille. Throughout his life, he worked for the interests of the Greek people and provided financial support. He was known as a person whose banking expertise was highly valued by Sultan Abdulhamid II. His residences included a magnificent mansion in Pera–Beyoğlu and another magnificent waterside mansion (yalı) in Tarabya. He died in Istanbul on 27 March 1884 and was buried in the Şişli Greek Orthodox Cemetery.
According to Lloyd's Register data, among ten Greek-origin shipowners from Istanbul and İzmir who were Ottoman subjects, P. M. Courtgis ranked first with 11 vessels, while in terms of tonnage he ranked second with a total of 5,947 NRT, compared with Leonidas Zarifi, who owned six vessels totaling 6,554 NRT. For a period, the Istanbul shipowner G. Stathopulo ranked first with three vessels totaling 2,918 NRT, while Micalinas & Co. ranked third with two vessels totaling 2,406 NRT. However, the İzmir-based Hacı Davud Farkouh owned a fleet of ten vessels with a combined tonnage of 3,865 NRT. Although the Istanbul Levantine firm Foscolo & Mango owned four vessels totaling 6,071 NRT, these vessels were registered in London under the name “Mango & Doresa.” The Istanbul-based Sinissioglu S. owned two vessels totaling 2,283 NRT.
The other shipowners listed were the Dandria Brothers, Saliaris A. K., Pantaleon P., Langoressis N., Evangalatos E., Andrea Spiteri, and Stamiades M. J.
Although Sultan Abdulhamid II personally decreed that Georges Zarifi should become an Ottoman subject, Zarifi rejected the imperial decree and remained Greek. He took full advantage of the legal loopholes and administrative incompetence of the Ottoman Empire, to which he owed his entire fortune. He became so powerful that he was able to exert influence over the state's financial resources. All ten vessels belonging to the shipping company he established operated primarily in Ottoman ports and harbors and in the Black Sea and Aegean regions.
Although he was the Ottoman Empire's largest shipowner of his time in terms of the number of vessels, he regarded shipowning much like a “security” traded on the stock exchange. He was not a shipowner in the true sense of the word. When he began attempting to manage his shipping operations through the company in which he conducted his banking activities, his career as a shipowner was already coming to an end amid considerable difficulties.
In the records of Greek maritime commercial history, Zarifi, like Arvanitidis, Zarifis, Kavounidis, Sideridis, and Foscolo Mango of Istanbul and Çanakkale, and Eusthathiou, Papayiannis, and Onassis of İzmir and the Aegean, is listed among Greek shipowners, rather than as a Greek shipowner who was a subject of the Ottoman Empire.
Extensive information is provided in the following pages about the French ship, lighter-towing (tugboat), pilotage, and salvage company known as Cie. De Remorquage de Pilotage & de Sauvetage. It appears that, before engaging in tugboat operations, this company also operated voyages with wooden, square-rigged barque-type sailing vessels, primarily to and from the Port of Istanbul. From the final century of the Ottoman Empire until the establishment of the Republic, the unrivalled largest ship-towing and salvage company was that of the Maltese-born British shipowners and entrepreneurs Alfred Charles Grech and William Grech. The company’s ports of registry were Çanakkale and Gallipoli. In time, they also undertook ship-towing operations in the Port of Istanbul. “Alfred Charles Grech, William Grech” and the “Ecnebi Seyr-i Sefain Kumpanyaları Dersaadet Bahriye Odası” continued their efforts without interruption from the mid-nineteenth century onward to regulate, by law, the profession of shipmasters serving as pilots and the provision of pilotage services.
The first pilotage and tugboat organization serving the Port of Istanbul, the Straits, and the Sea of Marmara was established by retired Ottoman Navy Captain Süleyman Nutku. What he tirelessly sought to emphasize was that assigning pilots to vessels in the Port of Istanbul and the Straits was essential, above all, for the safety of navigation and the protection of the environment. He nevertheless continued his struggle for many years, tirelessly and persistently.

At Golden Horn, steam tugs and wooden barges (Mauna-Mavna).

Paddle tug in front of the Kabataş wood wharf.
In the Port of Istanbul in the Nineteenth Century, a teeming multitude of sailing merchant ships, side-wheel and screw tugs, and small boats. Photograph: Sebah & Joaillier.

Tugboats
In the simplest terms, almost all of the towing tugs operating in the Port of Istanbul were wooden-, iron- or steel-hulled, side-wheel or screw-propelled tugboats built in shipyards in the Tyne region and, to a lesser extent, in the shipyards on the River Clyde in Glasgow. Their
30
owners were invariably British. The beginnings of passenger transportation in Britain also date back to the era of side-wheel tugs. These tugboats were also employed in towing operations.
The history of cargo and ship salvage services in Turkey may be summarized as follows:
“The origins of these services in Turkey can be traced back to the British company known as Kilcher & Walkers Co., established in Istanbul in 1926. With the enactment of the Cabotage Law in 1930, the company adopted the name Türk Kurtarma Ltd.
Following the establishment of Denizcilik Bankası T.A.O. under Law No. 5842 in 1952, salvage operations continued under the auspices of this company.
The company had eight salvage vessels/tugs, named La Nina, La Valette, Cleopatra, Caesar II, King Lear, Frank Dixon, and Foremost. Of these vessels, Sanbel Parados flew the Danish flag, Bolas the Greek flag, and the others the British flag.
Following the enactment of the 1930 Cabotage Law and the nationalization of salvage services in Turkish territorial waters, the company became Türk Kurtarma Ltd., and the tugboats were registered under the Turkish flag.
The salvage vessels/tugs that were given the names Akbaş, Hora, Kilyos, and Saros began operating from 1940 onwards under the Salvage Administration (Kurtarma İşletmesi), which was affiliated with the **Directorate-General of Turkish Maritime Lines (Deniz Yolları Genel Müdürlüğü).”
The Treaty of Lausanne and the Proclamation of the Republic
Under Article 3 of the Treaty of Lausanne, dated 24 July 1923, concerning the Capitulations:
“The Capitulations were privileges and exemptions granted to foreigners in the judicial, financial, and administrative spheres. Under Article 28 of the Peace Treaty, they were abolished, together with all their consequences, and the new Turkey was thus forever freed from a burden that had been endured for centuries.”
The P.R.S. – Compagnie de Remorquage de Sauvetage et de Pilotage Marseille & Constantinople – Tug, Pilotage and Salvage Company Ltd., founded in 1895
Although the P.R.S. – Compagnie de Remorquage de Sauvetage et de Pilotage Marseille & Constantinople – Tug, Pilotage and Salvage Company Ltd. was ostensibly established in 1895 to provide pilotage, towing, and salvage services in the Istanbul and Dardanelles Straits, an examination of its founders and directors reveals an interesting picture.
The Chairman of the Board was Lione Bloch, General Manager of the Banque Transatlantique, one of the oldest private French banks, founded in 1881. The company's founding capital was £120,000, and Vincent Caillard, President of the Council of the Ottoman Public Debt Administration (Düyun-u Umumiye), was appointed to the company.
The shareholders and directors who made up the management of the P.R.S. – Compagnie de Remorquage de Sauvetage et de Pilotage Marseille & Constantinople – Tug, Pilotage and Salvage Company Ltd., as listed on the company's share certificate dated 1 February 1923, included:Theodore Berger, General Manager of the Société Générale de l'Empire Ottoman;Le Marquis de Flers, General Manager of the Transatlantique Company;Theodore Mallett, General Manager of Mallett Brothers Bank;A. Churneyssen, General Manager of the Transatlantique Bank;Frédéric Vincent, a London-based investor;Lionidas Zarifi, one of Galata's most prominent bankers; and Etienne Eugenidis, one of the Galata bankers.The Secretary-General of the company's Board of Directors was Eugéne Bocandi.
Steam-Powered, Side-Wheel, Iron-Hulled Tug “Punch”
The 130 Grt, 53 Nrt, wooden-hulled, side-wheel tug “Punch,” built at the Daniel Bider shipyard in East Jarrow, was launched in 1846 and entered service in the same year. Her single-expansion steam engine developed 40 NHP and was manufactured by H.S. Waite of North Shields.
-On 3 December 1846, she was purchased by William Watkins Ltd., one of the first London-based pilotage, towing, and salvage companies.
-On 18 August 1851, she was purchased by London-based John Hanson Jr., who sold her to a towing, salvage, and pilotage company based in Istanbul whose name is not recorded in the archival records. There are no further archival records concerning this tug.
Steam-Powered, Side-Wheel Wooden Tug “Pelissier” – “Iron Duke”
The iron-hulled side-wheel tug, originally named “Pelissier,” was built at the T.D. Marshall shipyard in South Shields on 1 January 1855 and entered service at the end of the same year. The “Pelissier” was 118 Grt. and 64 Nrt. and powered by a steam engine developing 60 NHP. Her engine was manufactured by T.D. Marshall. Her first owner was “Messrs Gibson et al.,” based in South Shields. She was given the name “Iron Duke” upon launching and departed for Istanbul in October 1855.
Steam-Powered, Side-Wheel, Iron-Hulled Tug “Louise Crawshay”
The “Louise Crawshay” was built as an iron-hulled, side-wheel vessel in June 1859 for Rogerson & Co. of Newcastle. Entering service at the end of the same year, the “Louise Crawshay” was powered by a main steam engine manufactured by Hawks, Crawshay & Sons of Gateshead. She was originally built for passenger transportation on the River Tyne.
The Newcastle Chronicle reported that, following her trials, the “Louise Crawshay,” the first of this series of tugs, reached the quay amid the satisfaction and admiration of the crowds gathered along both banks of the river.
-In 1859, she was registered in the name of John Rogerson of Newcastle.
-In 1862, she was sold to the Newcastle-based Tyne General Ferry Co.
-In 1863, she was purchased by George Wraith.
-In 1864, she was purchased by Heald Mathurin & Co.
-In 1864, she was sold to an Italian towing and salvage company and entered service in the Port of Istanbul.
Steam-Powered, Side-Wheel, Wooden-Hulled Tug “Pauline”
The side-wheel wooden tug originally named “Pauline” was built on 18 April 1868 at the Readhead Softley & Co. shipyard in South Shields, as Yard No. 33, and entered service in June 1868.
The Newcastle Chronicle reported that the “Louise Crawshay,” the first of the series of tugs on the River Tyne, conducted her trials on Monday and reached the quay the previous afternoon amid the satisfaction and admiration of the crowds gathered along both banks of the river.
The “Pauline,” of 95 Grt, was powered by a steam engine developing 50 Nhp. Her engine was manufactured by Readhead Softley & Co. Her first owner was the Robert Rowell company, which provided towing and tugboat services in the Port of Newcastle.
-In 1870, she was sold to J. Wilson & Co. of North Shields.
-On 12 June 1868, she was towed from Falmouth / Shields to Istanbul. She arrived in Istanbul on 27 July 1868. After being sold to a British towing, pilotage, and salvage company based in Istanbul, the underwater hull of the “Pauline,” down to a draft of 6 feet, was covered with brass plates, as was customary for other wooden-hulled tugs. No further information about her subsequent fate is available.

Barges (Mauna-Mavna)in large numbers on the Eminönü–Golden Horn side of the Galata Bridge, and rows of tugboats along the Kalafatçılar waterfront on the Karaköy side. Photograph: Abdullah Fréres, 1890.
Steam-Powered, Side-Wheel, Wooden-Hulled Tug “Peter Dixon”
The side-wheel, wooden-hulled tug originally named “Peter Dixon” was built at the Readhead Softley & Co. shipyard in South Shields. She was launched in April 1871 and entered service in the same year. The Peter Dixon, of 117 GRT and 34 NRT, was powered by a steam engine developing 50 NHP.
On 17 July 1871, the Peter Dixon, based at North Shields, was registered in the name of the Cullercoats firm, and in the same year she sailed for Istanbul on behalf of the “Peter Dixon Constantinople” firm. On 8 August 1872, she was sold to the Russian Steam Navigation Co., based in Odessa. In 1892, she was probably sold for breaking up.

"Tugboats would wait on the Galata side of Karaköy Bridge. This area was the waterfront of Mehmet Ali Pasha Inn, located at the head of Fermeneciler Street. Along its waterfront..."
Philip Charles Cecil Vail
Steam-powered, screw-propelled, iron-hulled tug “Yeni Gündoğdu” (Ex-Nora, Ex-Hiawatha, Ex-Clara, Ex-La Valette, Ex-Lavalet, Ex-Akbaş)
The steam-powered, screw-propelled, iron-hulled tug named “Nora” was built at the Charles Mitchell & Co. Low Walker shipyard on 21 December 1879 and entered service in February 1890.
The “Nora,” of 339 GRT and 219 NRT, was fitted with a two-expansion steam engine manufactured by R&W Hawthorn of Newcastle, developing 75 NHP.
Measuring 176.8 ft. in length overall, 26.1 ft. in beam, and 13.4 ft. in depth, the “Nora,” although originally designed as a yacht, entered service in 1880 as a tug and salvage vessel.
In 1880, she was sold to Jean Baptiste Perret, based in Marseille.
In 1888, she was purchased by Donald Horne MacFarlane and entered service at the Port of Southampton under the name “Hiawatha.”
In 1892, she was purchased by Archibald William Montgomerie of Irvine.
In the same year, she was sold to James Douglas Baird of Glasgow.
In 1909, she was purchased by William Baird of Elie.
In 1910, she changed hands four times. She was purchased by William Rice of Southampton.
In 1910, she was purchased by Camper & Nicholson Ltd. of Southampton.
In 1910, she was purchased by Max Schultz of Southampton.
In 1910, she was purchased by H. Hiller & W. Lang of the Port of Hamburg and renamed “Clara.”
In 1913, she was purchased by Noel Pemberton Billing of London and renamed “Hiawatha.”
In 1915, she was purchased by REV James Ltd. of Southampton and renamed “Polygon.”
In 1915, she was purchased by Vincent Stephen Emanuel Grech of London.
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In 1916, her name was changed to “La Valette,” and she was re-registered in the London ship register.
In 1916, she was converted into a salvage vessel.
In 1917, she was purchased by Henry Mulleneaux Grayson of Liverpool.
In 1917, she was purchased by The Ocean Salvage Co. Ltd. of Liverpool, retaining the name “La Vallette.”
In 1918, the company’s name in London was restyled as Restyled Salvage & Towage Co. Ltd.
In 1923, the company’s name in London was changed to The Ocean Salvage Co. Ltd.
In 1930, she was purchased by Philip Charles Cecil Vail of Istanbul.
In 1930, the 51-year-old tug was registered in Istanbul in the name of Türk Gemi Kurtarma Anonim Şirketi (Turkish Ship Salvage Joint Stock Company).
In 1932, she was named “Levalet.”
In 1935, her name was changed to “Akbaş.”
In 1938, she was registered in the name of Deniz Bank Türk Gemi Kurtarma Şirketi.
In 1944, she was registered in the name of Devlet Denizyolları ve Limanları Türk Gemi Kurtarma Şirketi.
In 1952, she was registered as Denizcilik Bankası Gemi Kurtarma İşletmesi, Istanbul (Maritime Bank Ship Salvage Enterprise, Istanbul).
In 1966, she was purchased by Sultan Kurt ve Ortakları Ltd. Following conversion, she was transformed into a general cargo vessel. The 87-year-old tug was renamed “Yeni Gündoğdu.”
In 1980, she was purchased by Haşlamanlar Gemicilik.
In 1982, she was scrapped.
Hacı Davud Farkouh, Nichalos E. Vernicos
Iron-hulled paddle-wheel tug “Sophia” — “Ex-Olga”
The 119 GRT, 34 NRT wooden-hulled, paddle-wheel tug “Olga,” built for the London-based GN Tanivaco, entered service in December 1879. Her single-expansion steam engine developed 50 NHP and was manufactured by W. Hepple & Co. of South Shields.
In 1890, she was purchased in Istanbul by the pilotage and tugboat company M.J. Stamadiades.
In 1900, she was purchased by the pilotage and tugboat company Hacı Davud Farkouh of Izmir.
In 1902, she was purchased by Nichalos E. Vernicos and renamed “Sofia.”

Vincent SE Grech
Iron-hulled paddle-wheel tug “Victoria”
The 141 GRT, 34 NRT wooden-hulled, paddle-wheel tug “Victoria,” built at the South Shields-based shipyard of JR Rennoldson & Son under Yard No. 102, was launched on 11 June 1886 and entered service in the same year. Her single-expansion steam engine developed 65 NHP and was built by JP Rennoldson & Sons of South Shields.
In 1886, she was purchased on behalf of the pilotage and tugboat company Vincent SE Grech for service in the Dardanelles, with Gallipoli as her port of registry. This company was a British pilotage, tugboat, and salvage company based in London. Like many other tugs, “Victoria” flew the flag corresponding to her port of registry.
In 1889, she was purchased by CH Hamilton, which provided pilotage and tugboat services at Kerch, Russia.There are no further archival records concerning this tug.

Midship Section of Steel Paddle tug.
DA Stathatos
The Steam-Powered, Screw-Propelled, Iron-Hulled Tug “Propontis”

Built in 1890 by J.P. Rennoldson & Sons at their South Shields shipyard under Yard No. 125, the tug “Propontis” was launched on 16 September 1890 and entered service on 25 October 1890.
The 125 GRT tug was fitted with a triple-expansion steam engine developing 57 NHP.
In November 1890, she was sold to the Stathatos Brothers and taken over by DA Stathatos.
It is recorded that she operated in towage services at Braila. No further information is available.
Stelio Pandermaly
The Steam-Powered, Twin-Screw, Iron-Hulled Tug “Flying Coot”
Built on 9 May 1895 by J.P. Rennoldson & Sons at their South Shields shipyard under Yard No. 164, the “Flying Coot” entered service in the autumn of that year. She was powered by
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two triple-expansion steam engines developing 98 NHP and 600 IHP, built by J.R. Rennoldson & Sons of Glasgow.
Her first owning company was Clyde Shipping Ltd., based in Glasgow.
On 8 September 1903, she was sold to the London-based firm of John Fitzgerald. On the same day, she was purchased by the Cie de Remorquage de Sauvetage et de Pilotage, Marseille & Constantinople, and renamed “Rhone.”
In 1907, the company's name was changed to Cie de Remorquage de Sauvetage et de Pilotage.
In 1911, Stelio Pandermaly was appointed as the company's president in Istanbul. (Galata, Ali Han 1–2)
On 11 September 1914, the Ottoman Government requisitioned the tug and converted her into a minesweeper.
On 30 December 1914, while attempting to render harmless moored mines laid by the Russians five days earlier outside the Black Sea entrance to the Bosphorus, which posed a danger to vessels passing through the Straits, she sank as a result of an explosion.
The Steam-Powered, Screw-Propelled, Steel-Hulled Tug “Liverpool”
Built in 1896 at Tyne Inch Yard by David J. Dunlop & Co. of Port Glasgow, the steam-powered, screw-propelled, steel-hulled “Liverpool” measured 116 GRT and 33 NRT.
The tug's first owning company was the London-based Towage & Salvage Co. Ltd. Registered at the Port of London, the “Liverpool” was sold in 1897 to the Compagnie de Remorquage de Sauvetage et de Pilotage Marseille & Constantinople and registered under the French flag.
Renamed “Omonia,” the tug was requisitioned on 9 January 1914 while lying at anchor in the Golden Horn, on behalf of the Ottoman Government.
In November 1914, she was converted into a minelayer.
In April 1919, she was returned to the Compagnie de Remorquage de Sauvetage et de Pilotage Marseille & Constantinople.
By the end of the same year, she sank in the Black Sea.
The Steam-Powered, Screw-Propelled, Steel-Hulled Tug “Marseilles”
Built in 1896 at Tyne Inch Yard by David J. Dunlop & Co. of Port Glasgow, the steam-powered, screw-propelled, steel-hulled “Marseilles” measured 116 GRT and 33 NRT. She entered service on 23 October 1895.
Her first owning company was the London-based Towage & Salvage Co. Ltd. Registered at the Port of London, the “Marseilles” was sold in 1897 to the Compagnie de Remorquage de Sauvetage et de Pilotage Marseilles & Constantinople and registered under the French flag.
The tug retained her name. No further information is available concerning her subsequent fate.
The Steam-Powered, Screw-Propelled, Steel-Hulled Tug “Paris”
Built in 1896 at Tyne Inch Yard by David J. Dunlop & Co. of Port Glasgow, the steam-powered, screw-propelled, steel-hulled “Paris” measured 116 GRT and 33 NRT. She entered service on 18 February 1896.
The first owning company of the “Paris” was the London-based Towage & Salvage Co. Ltd. Registered at the Port of London, the “Paris” was sold in 1897 to the Compagnie de Remorquage de Sauvetage et de Pilotage Marseille & Constantinople and registered under the French flag.
The tug retained her name and was requisitioned by the Ottoman Government in November 1914. She was returned to the Compagnie de Remorquage de Sauvetage et de Pilotage Marseille & Constantinople in 1919.
She sank in the Black Sea in April of that year.
The Steam-Powered, Screw-Propelled, Iron-Hulled Tug “Gonca”
(Ex-Selonika, Ex-Selanik)
In 1910, the tug “Selonika,” then operating under the Thessaloniki Port Administration, was requisitioned in September 1911 on behalf of the Ottoman Navy.
The tug, built in 1908 and renamed “Selanik,” served during the Gallipoli Campaign of 1915, supplying mines to the minelayer “Nusret” at Çanakkale.
She subsequently lay in port for ten years.
At that time, she was assigned to the “Gonca Mine Depot,” established for the service of the Turkish Navy. Her triple-expansion main steam engine developed 550 HP.
The tug measured 32.98 metres in overall length, 6.00 metres in beam, and 3.25 metres in depth. In 1927, she was given the name “Gonca.”
In 1944, she was converted for personnel transportation.
She was decommissioned at Gölcük in 1993.
After being purchased by scrap dealers and left awaiting her fate, the vessel was discovered by Erol Ersan. “Gonca” had sunk into the mud almost up to her funnel.
When Erol Ersan saw the tug in this condition, he burst into tears. He wanted to save the “Gonca” from the mud, but lacking the necessary financial resources, he approached Rahmi Koç and asked him to undertake the salvage and preservation of the tug.
He succeeded in persuading Rahmi Koç of the vessel's importance. In 1996, the “Gonca” tug was purchased by the Rahmi M. Koç Museum and Culture Foundation, and the tug was subsequently rescued with the financial resources provided by Rahmi Koç.
Following three years of work based on the designs of a British maritime company, the “Gonca” was completely renovated at the Haliç and Tuzla shipyards. Her original characteristics were not preserved, however, and her external appearance was kept essentially unchanged. In its present form, the original Selanik–Gonca tug has effectively disappeared and has instead been transformed into an extremely elegant excursion yacht, which, in my opinion, does not conform to an understanding of historical heritage and the preservation of the vessel's past.
She is currently preserved at the Rahmi M. Koç Museum.
The Steam-Powered, Steel-Hulled, Screw-Propelled Tug “Bozcaada”
(Ex-Marius Chambon)
Built in 1905 at the Old Yard of Mackie & Thomson, Govan, Glasgow, the 396 GRT and 247 NRT steam-powered, steel-hulled, screw-propelled salvage tug “Marius Chambon” (Yard No. 328) was completed and ready for service on 16 October 1905.
Her triple-expansion main steam engine, built by Muir & Houston Ltd. of Glasgow, developed 705 IHP.
Her dimensions were: overall length, 123.5 ft.; beam, 22.1 ft.; depth, 11.9 ft.
In 1957, a four-cylinder, four-stroke Škoda 4S275-type diesel engine, built in Prague and developing 260 BHP, was installed.
Her first owning company was the Marseille-based Société Générale de Remorquage et de Travaux Maritimes.
In 1943, she was purchased on behalf of the General Directorate of State Maritime Lines and Ports Operations under the Turkish Ministry of Transport and given the name “Bozcaada.”
In 1965, she was purchased by Hacı Mehmet Yıldıran and Successors of Şile and converted into a general cargo vessel. She was renamed “Kaptan Mehmet.”
In 1992, she was purchased by Engin Hamoğlu and renamed “Engin H.”
She is recorded as still being in operation in December 2015.

A paddle tug waiting at the entrance to the Bosphorus for the sailing vessels it would tow. Source: David Forbes photographic archive.

Fifteen paddle tugs lying at anchor off Tophane, moored to a buoy. Photograph: Sebah Joaillier, 1895.

While providing towing services, the carriage of passengers when required was gradually regarded as an additional source of commercial income. Over time, the design of tugs was modified to enable them to carry passengers as well, in response to this need. These tugs were classified as “Tenders & Passenger Carrying Tugs.”
Source: P. N. Thomas, British Steam Tugs.

The news in the Monday, 21 June 1869 issue of the Shields Daily Gazette reporting that the “Cosmopolitan” would depart for Istanbul within a day or two.
Due to the increasing demand for this service, passenger accommodation was incorporated into tugboat designs, and larger-tonnage tugs suitable for this purpose were designed. The “Violet,” built in 1892, of 141 GRT and 100.0 ft. in overall length, had a passenger saloon aft with accommodation for up to 70 passengers. The “Constantine” represented a very small example of this type of tug. The “J. C. Stevenson,” built in 1883, provides an example of the design developed for such tugs.

Ofer Ergas and Albert Ergas
Steam-Powered, Wooden-Hulled Tugs “2” and “7”
No definitive archival information has yet been identified concerning the Ergas family, whose tugs carried numbers on their funnels instead of names. However, information obtained from the Cervati annual directories indicates that they had commercial establishments, predominantly engaged in money-changing and related financial activities, in the Galata and Eminönü districts. The name Ergas frequently appears alongside those of other legendary Jewish banking, merchant and shipowning families of Istanbul, such as the Camondos, the Modianos and the Barzilays. These families helped consolidate Istanbul’s position as a critical port city linking the declining Ottoman world with the emerging global capitalist economy.
Ofer Ergas and Albert Ergas, having assessed the demand for tugboats in the Port of Istanbul, either commissioned or purchased wooden-hulled tugs built at shipyards in the Tyne region and assigned numbers to them instead of names. These numbers were displayed on the tugboats’ funnels. Although it has not been possible to establish the exact number of tugboats owned by Ofer Ergas & Albert Ergas, photographs of three different tugs bearing numbers on their funnels have been identified. In the photographs of these tugboats in my archive, the numbers 2, 3, 4, 7 and 9 can be seen on the funnels. On the basis of these numbered tugs, whose exact ownership cannot yet be established with certainty, these numbers suggest that the company may have owned at least nine tugboats. However, this is not a definitive assessment.
Furthermore, these tugboats do not conform, in terms of design, to the tugboats built on the Tyne, Clyde, Tees or Wear. It may therefore be considered that they were among the tugboats designed in later years to carry passengers as well as perform towing duties.

Paddle tug bearing the number “4” on its funnel, moored at the quay in Tarabya Bay. Source: Sebah & Joaillier. Date: 1895.

The Alfred Charles Grech, William Grech and Richard A. Grech Family
The Grech family migrated from Malta to Çanakkale in 1860. Alfred Charles Grech was born in Çanakkale on 14 August 1864. He was a shipowner and agent for foreign postal companies operating steamship services to Çanakkale and Gallipoli. His principal commercial activities, however, were ship towing, salvage and pilotage. In November 1908, he was appointed United States Consul in Çanakkale. He continued to serve as Vice-Consul or Consul between 1912 and 1914.

Alfred Charles Grech and Marie Westbury (d. 1952) had a daughter, Henriette (Hettie) Beatrice Grech, and a son, Richard Grech (d. 1976). Neither married. In his later years, Alfred Charles Grech left his wife and children and settled in Istanbul, where he died. As can be seen from the title records concerning his property in Çanakkale, serving as the consul of a Western country was a common tradition among the Levantines. The Grech family likewise served as the American consular representatives in Çanakkale.
Henriette (Hettie) Beatrice Grech (1902–1983), the daughter of Alfred Charles Grech and Marie Westbury, was the last member of the Grech family to remain in Çanakkale. Records indicate that Grech had four siblings: Vincent, William, Elizabeth and Beatrice. Henriette (Hettie) Grech was the last member of the family to remain in Çanakkale. She died in Istanbul.
The 1891 Tyne Tugs records list Richard Grech as the owner of a tugboat under the company name “Hastings & Dardanelles,” while the 1896 records contain the entry “Alfred, William and Richard A. Grech, Dardanelles.”
The tug “Harlequin,” built in 1885, was originally named “Shannon.” It was later broken up at Fener, Istanbul.
William Grech of the Grech family had settled in Gallipoli and served as British Honorary (Vice-)Consul between 1900 and 1914, and as the Italian consular representative in 1914.
Elizabeth Grech was born in Çanakkale in 1872. She is recorded in the British census of 1901 as residing in Hastings. Henriette (Hettie) Beatrice Grech’s uncle, Alfred Anthony Grech, owned a shipyard in Çanakkale that carried out small-scale ship repairs.
On a gravestone in the French Cemetery in Çanakkale, the following inscription can be read: “RIP (Rest in Peace), in loving memory of our dear brothers ... Marie ... Emmanuel, Marie A ... Albert Grech, and also our dear brother Emmanuel Grech.”
Edward Grech was the British Consul in Çanakkale in 1887. In the 1869 newspaper Levant Times and Shipping, “E. Grech” is recorded as a steamship owner and shipping agent.
The most prominent member of the Grech family in Çanakkale was Vincent (S. E.) Grech. He operated a ship salvage and towing service with four salvage and towing tugs. Full details of his activities can be found in Lloyd’s Shipping “Form of Salvage Agreement” and on the Lloyd’s website under “History – Salvage: Origins of Lloyd’s Form.” The first agreement using the renewed “Lloyd’s Form” was concluded by Vincent Grech in 1890.
Documents relating to the salvage operations undertaken by Vincent Grech’s ship salvage and towing company in the Çanakkale, Gallipoli and İzmir regions between 1890 and 1912 are available, as are three photographs of Richard A. Grech in his capacity as director of the company.
The small tug named “Vincent Grech,” owned by the company, was purchased at the beginning of the First World War on behalf of the British Royal Navy, which was based at Piraeus, and was used during the Gallipoli Campaign. The “Harlequin,” belonging to Grech Co., also undertook ship salvage operations in the İzmir region.
Through his London-based company, Vincent S. Grech purchased the general cargo ship “Plymothian,” built in 1883 by C. S. Swan & Hunter, in 1906 and sold it one year later to the Bank of Athens. The bank renamed the vessel “Marika.”
I also asked Dr. Mithat Atabay, who holds the Grech family archive, to assist me. He replied courteously that same evening. In his response, he wrote:
“The original prints of the photographs belonging to the Grech family are in my personal archive. I had also given copies to the Çanakkale Art House, together with information about the owners of the building, so that they could be displayed there. I follow your work and also benefit from it. I conduct research on maritime history, maritime accidents and wartime shipwrecks. (Together with Selçuk Kolay, we prepared the book Reflections from the Depths.) As you mentioned in your work, it would be good for these photographs to be included. I will send you these photographs digitally tomorrow.”
I am honored to reproduce here the recollections of Henriette (Hettie) Beatrice Grech, known in the social life of Çanakkale as “Madam Ketty,” as related in the writings of Dr. Mithat Atabay.

Henriette (Hettie) Beatrice Grech
Henriette (Hettie) Beatrice Grech (Madam Ketty) was born in Çanakkale in 1902 and spent most of her life in the city she loved so dearly. Although she was born in one of the houses on the street where the “Houses with Babies” are located on Mehmetçik Boulevard in the centre of Çanakkale, she lived for many years in the mansion that is today used as the Fine Arts Gallery. The mansion was purchased in 1902 by Hettie’s father, Alfred R. Grech, from the heirs of Necip Pasha.
A popular and colorful figure, she became part of the city’s developing social and cultural life, attending balls and picnics. She was known and loved by both local people and foreigners, and was often seen riding horses in the Halk Bahçesi (Public Garden). Known in Çanakkale as “Madam Ketty,” Hettie was remembered by the townspeople as an accomplished woman in beauty and cosmetics. She never married.
When her mother and her brother Richard, who lived in England, died in the 1950s, all the Grech family properties in Çanakkale were inherited by Hettie, the sole heir. She lived alone for many years in the house now known as the Fine Arts Gallery. She always ate her meals outside the home, and over time her circle of friends gradually became smaller. Having no profession, Hettie lived solely on the income from a few houses and fields. She engaged in voluntary charitable activities but never went into business.
The mansion now used as the Fine Arts Gallery was registered as a historic monument by the Ministry of Culture in 1976. In 1981, it was allocated by the Ministry of Culture to the Treasury for a period of 99 years, on the condition that it be used for the specified purpose.
Hettie continued to live in another house with her beloved dog, “Bobby.” Years passed, and Hettie became ill and went to Istanbul for treatment. She spent her final years happily at Tepebaşı Vatan Hospital in Beyoğlu. Until her death, she was very well cared for and all her needs were provided for by Dr. Azmi Ofluoğlu, owner of the hospital and founder of Universal Hospitals Group. In gratitude, Hettie left all her property to Dr. Azmi Ofluoğlu in her will. In order to preserve her memory, Dr. Azmi Ofluoğlu opened the “Hettie Hotel” in Karaköy in 2010.
Hettie Grech has retained a place in the collective memory of Çanakkale because of her colorful and popular personality and her contribution to the city’s social life. Together with Beria Yurdakul, the daughter of Çanakkale Governor Süreyya Yurdakul, Madam Hettie was regarded as a symbol of the modern Turkish woman’s way of life.
Women in Çanakkale first voted in the municipal elections held in October 1930. Following the municipal elections, the constitutional amendment of 5 December 1934 granted women the right to elect and be elected as members of parliament. At the time these rights were introduced, Governor Süreyya Bey had two important assistants at his side. One was his esteemed wife, Misli Hanım. Henriette (Hettie) Beatrice Grech (1902–1983) was also known for participating in the efforts of her father, Alfred Charles Grech, to promote and establish the values of the Republic among the women of Çanakkale. (Source: Dr. Mithat Atabay archive.)
His other principal assistant was his daughter, Beria Hanım. Although still very young, she was regarded as a symbol of the modern Turkish girl in Çanakkale. She took part in sports, attended balls and participated in the activities of the People’s House (Halkevi), founded in 1932. Her greatest pleasure was riding horses with her friend Hettie on fine days. Whenever Beria Hanım and Madam Hettie rode the horses brought by mounted officers from the Gendarmerie School, everyone admired them. The two young women were both regarded as symbols of the Republican youth of Çanakkale.
When Atatürk set out on a tour of Western Anatolia during the first week of April 1934, he unexpectedly left İzmir and travelled by automobile via Edremit, Ayvacık and Ezine, arriving in Çanakkale on 14 April 1934. Together with the commanders accompanying him, he first inspected the military units in Çanakkale. In the evening, he attended a ball held in his honor at the Officers’ Club. All the military and civil authorities of Çanakkale were present at the ball. Among those attending was Mademoiselle Hettie.
Atatürk called Halil Bey, the Party Chairman and interpreter, to him and instructed him: “I will open the ball by dancing with Governor Bey’s daughter, Beria Hanım. You will accompany us on the dance floor with Mademoiselle Hettie.”
While everyone assumed that Atatürk would dance with Mademoiselle Hettie, he instead danced with Beria Hanım, the daughter of Governor Süreyya Bey, and at the end of the evening presented Beria Hanım with a gold bracelet. Contrary to expectations, however, the ball was brief and ended when a journalist asked Mustafa Kemal a question concerning the Italian threat. Mustafa Kemal left Çanakkale the following day.
Governor Süreyya Bey was transferred to Sinop in the summer of 1935. His daughter Beria Hanım also went to Sinop, where she continued to participate particularly in activities at the People’s House. She later became the daughter-in-law of Nuri Aziz Beler, a well-known figure in Turkey.

The salvage operation undertaken in 1906 to refloat the general cargo/passenger ship “Plymothian,” which had run aground at Büyük Sahip, Karaburun, in the Gulf of İzmir. In the photograph, the twin-funnel tug “Knight of St. Patrick,” belonging to Alfred, William & Richard A. Grech, can be seen, while the tug “Harlequin” is visible on the starboard side of the ship. Also on the starboard side, farther aft, is a paddle tug which, although not certain, may have been “Mary Louise,” belonging to J. P. Rennoldson. Photograph courtesy of Richard Cox.

“Dalkeith” salvage tug at Çanakkele’de. Year 1910;
Picture: Herry W.Schaeffer Collection.

Knight of St.Patrick ve Harlequin
On 25 January 1906, Charles V. Grech’s salvage and towing tugs “Knight of St. Patrick” and “Harlequin” intervened to refloat the general cargo/passenger ship “Plymothian,” which had run aground on the rocks at Büyük Sahip, Karaburun, in the Gulf of Izmir. The ship they salvaged was, in fact, owned by Grech himself.
The 1,532 GRT, 953 NRT general cargo/passenger ship “Plymothian,” built in 1883 by C.S. Swan & Hunter at Wallsend, on Slipway No. 69, was initially owned by the Plymouth-based Port of Plymouth Steamship Co. Ltd. (Bellamy & Co.).
-In 1892, she was sold to the London-based firm Westcott & Laurence.
-In 1902, she was registered under the name of Plymothian Steamship Co. Ltd. (Westcott & Laurance).
-In 1906, she was purchased by Vincent Charles Grech.
-On 25 January 1906, she ran aground on the rocks at Büyük Sahip, Karaburun, in the Gulf of Izmir.
-On 8 February 1906, she was refloated and sold.
-In 1907, she was transferred to the Bank of Athens, based in Piraeus, and renamed “Marika.”
-In 1911, she was purchased by the Piraeus-based Donestini, Oeconomou & Co. and renamed “Georgios.”
-In 1912, she was purchased by the Piraeus-based Stylianos Castanos.
-In 1913, her name was changed to “Aghia Pelaghia.”
-In 1923, she was purchased by Carlo Napoli fu R and renamed “Saru.”
-In 1926, she was purchased by Alfo Napoli fu Rosairo of Catania.
-In 1929, she was purchased by Ant Macri of Catania and renamed “Alfredo.”
-In April 1929, she was scrapped and broken up.
Steam-Powered, Screw-Propelled Iron-Hulled Tug “Gayret” – (Ex Shannon, Ex-Harlequin)
The tug “Shannon,” whose construction commenced on 31 January 1885 at J. Wigham Richardson & Co., Low Walker, under Slipway No. 186, was completed in February 1885. She was designed for use both as a yacht and a tug.
-Her compound steam engine, producing 70 NHP, was manufactured by A. Shank & Sons of Arbroath.
-The “Shannon,” of 139 GRT and 25 NRT, measured 100.7 x 19.2 x 11.1 ft.
-In 1885, she was registered in the name of Colonel Edward A. Gore of Limerick, with Limerick as her port of registry.
-In 1890, she was purchased by Benjamin Nicholson of Gosport.
-In 1890, she was sold to George A. C. Schanley of Hamble.
-In 1891, she was purchased by the Çanakkale-based firm Alfred, William & Richard A. Grech and renamed “Harlequin.”
-In 1896, the firm’s name was changed to “Alfred, William & Richard A. Grech, Dardanelles.”
-In 1907, she was transferred to the Ottoman İdare-i Mahsusa and renamed “Gayret.”
-In 1910, she was transferred to the Ottoman Seyr-i Sefain Administration.
-After being modified, she served as a minelayer in the Ottoman Navy from 1914 to 1918.
-In 1927, she was broken up in the Golden Horn.
-In 1902, she was registered under the ownership of Plymothian Steamship Co. Ltd. (Westcott & Laurance).
-In 1906, she was purchased by Vincent Charles Grech.
-On 25 January 1906, she ran aground on the rocks at Büyük Sahip, Karaburun, in the Gulf of İzmir.
-On 8 February 1906, she was refloated and sold.
-In 1907, she was transferred to the Bank of Athens, based in Piraeus, and renamed “Marika.”
-In 1911, she was purchased by the Piraeus-based Donestini, Oeconomou & Co. and renamed “Georgios.”
-In 1912, she was purchased by the Piraeus-based Stylianos Castanos.
-In 1913, her name was changed to “Aghia Pelaghia.”
-In 1923, she was purchased by Carlo Napoli fu R and renamed “Saru.”
-In 1926, she was purchased by Alfo Napoli fu Rosairo of Catania.
-In 1929, she was purchased by Ant Macri of Catania and renamed “Alfredo.”
-In April 1929, she was scrapped and broken up.
Steam-powered, screw-driven, iron-hulled tug “Gayret” – (Ex-Shannon, Ex-Harlequin)
Construction of the tug “Shannon” commenced on 31 January 1885 at J. Wigham Richardson & Co., Low Walker, under Yard No. 186, and she was completed in February 1885. She was designed for use as both a yacht and a tug.
-Her compound steam main engine, developing 70 NHP, was manufactured by A. Shank & Sons of Arbroath.
-The “Shannon,” of 139 GRT and 25 NRT, measured 100.7 x 19.2 x 11.1 ft.
-In 1885, she was registered at Limerick in the name of Colonel Edward A. Gore, whose residence was in Limerick.
-In 1890, she was purchased by Benjamin Nicholson of Gosport.
-In 1890, she was sold to George A.C. Schanley of Hamble.
-In 1891, she was purchased by the Çanakkale-based firm Alfred, William & Richard A. Grech and renamed “Harlequin.”
-In 1896, the firm’s name was changed to “Alfred, William & Richard A. Grech, Dardanelles.”
-In 1907, she was transferred to the Ottoman İdare-i Mahsusa and renamed “Gayret.”
-In 1910, she was transferred to the Ottoman Seyr-i Sefain Administration.
-After being modified, she served in the Ottoman Navy as a minelayer from 1914 to 1918.
-In 1927, she was broken up in the Golden Horn.

Dalkeith (Ex- Dalhouise) salvage tug. Source: Clyde Built Tugs & Ships.
The Steam-Powered, Screw-Propelled, Steel-Hulled, Twin-Funnel Salvage Tug Dalkeith Ex-Dalhouise
Built in 1889 at the Leven Yard of William Denny & Bros. Shipyard, Dumbarton, under Official Number 97582 and Yard No. 420, the steam-powered, screw-propelled, steel-hulled, twin-funnel salvage tug Dalhouise was launched on 13 September 1889.
With a gross tonnage of 741 GRT and a net tonnage of 62 NRT, Dalhouise had an overall length of 216 ft., a beam of 32.1 ft., and a depth of 15.6 ft. She was fitted with a two-cylinder compound steam engine built by Denny & Company of Dumbarton, developing 250 NHP, and was equipped with twin propellers.
Although she was originally designed for salvage operations in the Calcutta area, she subsequently served in the Dardanelles and Istanbul port regions. Her first owners were the London-based firm of Robert Stewart and James Mudie. She was registered at the Port of Glasgow on 22 November 1889.
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In 1893, she was purchased by James Heggie Mudie of London. In 1899, she was acquired by the London-based Clive Steam Tug Co. Ltd., whose chairman was J. H. Mudie. In 1902, she was purchased from the Dardanelles by Vincent Stephen Emanuel Grech and registered at the Port of London. The tug was entered in the British shipping register.
In 1908, Vincent Emanuel Grech became bankrupt as a result of family disputes.
In 1910, Dalhouise was purchased by Richard Anthony Grech of Galata, Istanbul.
In March 1916, Dalhouise became one of the tugs requisitioned for wartime mobilisation requirements during the First World War. Renamed Dalkeith, she was placed in Admiralty service and assigned to operations in the Mediterranean.
On 28 April 1918, she was dispatched to assist the passenger/cargo vessel Kingstonian, which had been seriously damaged by a torpedo fired by the German submarine UB 48 and had avoided sinking by running aground in the San Pietro Channel off the island of Sardinia. As Dalkeith came alongside the starboard side of the vessel to render assistance, the tug Moose also came alongside on the port side. Their intention was to tow Kingstonian to Cagliari.
During the operation, another torpedo fired by UB 48 passed beneath Moose and Dalkeith and struck Kingstonian, exploding inside the vessel. Her forward section broke away and she sank almost immediately. The explosion also caused extensive damage to Dalkeith's hull.
Some time later, the submarine surfaced and opened fire. As a result, nine members of Dalkeith's crew and one member of Kingstonian's crew lost their lives from their wounds. Dalkeith sank into approximately 38 ft. of water within two minutes through the large opening in her hull.
After the war, the wreck was salvaged in sections by Italian divers and sold for scrap. International researcher David Asprey has written that the tug's twin funnels were designed to give her the appearance of a warship or cruiser.
An investigation subsequently conducted by the Admiralty Court concluded that neither Dalkeith nor the tug Moose, owned by the Mersey Towing Co., was at fault.

The Steam-Powered, Paddle-Wheel, Wooden-Hulled Tug Çeşme-(Ex-Nonpareil, Ex-Trojan)
The tug Nonpareil entered service in August 1869.
With a gross tonnage of 111 GRT and a net tonnage of 12 NRT, she was powered by a single-expansion steam engine built by J. P. Almond of North Shields, developing 41 NHP. Her dimensions were 97.2 x 18.9 x 10.2 ft.
In 1884, she was registered at the Port of London in the name of Nonpareil Steam Ship Co. Ltd.
In 1888, she was purchased in Greece by Pericles d'Andrea & Co.
In 1897, she was purchased in Istanbul by Vincent S. E. Grech and renamed Trojan.
In 1898, she was transferred to the Ottoman İdare-i Mahsusa and renamed Çeşme.
In 1904, her entry was removed from Lloyd's Register.
The Steam-Powered, Twin-Screw Steel Tug Uyanık
(Ex-Warren Hastings, Ex-İntibah)
The tug Warren Hastings, built for passenger service on Lake Mälaren, was laid down on 15 July 1886 at the shipyard of R. Duncan & Co. in Port Glasgow, under Yard No. 233, for Bockholmssundsbolaget. She measured 131.62 GRT and 93.84 NRT.
A twin-funnel, twin-screw tug, she measured 19.20 x 5.43 x 2.07 metres. Her main steam engine, built by Rankin & Blackmore, developed 1,670 IHP.
The design evolution seen in tugboats from 1857 onwards continued with vessels such as the Knight Commander, built in 1868 with an engine developing 160 NHP; Brilliant Star, built in 1876 with 180 NHP; Knight of the Cross, built in 1883 with 99 NHP; Stormcock, built in 1885 with 30 NHP; and William Jolliffe, built in 1885 with 975 IHP.
The bows of these tugs were characteristically described as having a "Canoe bow."
In a sense, the term "canoe bow" came to denote a particular type of tugboat design. Warren Hastings was one of these vessels.
On 25 August 1886, she entered service at Greenock for the London-based partnership of Partick Keith & James Heggie Mudie (Clive Steam Tug Co.).
In 1899, she was transferred to Clive Steam Tug Co. Ltd. of London.
In 1903, she was purchased at the Dardanelles by the London-based British firm V. S. E. (Vincent, Stephen, Emmanuel) Grech, which provided towing, salvage, and pilotage services. She was registered at the Port of Çanakkale.
In 1910, she was purchased for the same purposes by Richard Anthony Grech of Istanbul.
In 1912, she was purchased on behalf of the Ottoman Navy and renamed İntibah. Following conversion work, she was employed as a salvage tug.
In 1914, she was converted for use as a minelayer.
On 14 July 1917, while sailing from Zonguldak to Istanbul, she struck a wreck. As she began taking on water, she was run bow-first onto the shore. Her damaged hull was repaired, and she was subsequently towed to Istanbul for further repairs.
On 23 January 1918, she came under a torpedo attack by the British submarine E14, but the torpedo failed to hit its target. The submarine was subsequently sunk by shore batteries.
In 1925, she entered Turkish Naval service under the name Uyanık.
In 1933, she was converted into a tug at Gölcük Shipyard and renamed İntibah once again.
In 1956, she was withdrawn from service and laid up at Başiskele.
In 1958, she was sold.
In 1959, she was converted into a diesel-powered cargo vessel.
In 1967, she was purchased by Mustafa Okan Kardeşler (Mustafa Okanoğulları Gemicilik San. ve Tic. A.Ş.), one of the Istanbul port companies operating from the Ottoman period into the Republican era, and renamed Ararat.
In April 1989, she sank but was subsequently refloated and repaired.
In 1993, she was sold to Doğruyol Karadeniz Denizcilik Nakliyat Ltd. Şti. of Istanbul.
In 1997, she changed hands once again.
In 1999, she was broken up in Italy.
The Steam-Powered, Paddle-Wheel, Iron-Hulled Tug Leonida(Ex-Pilot Fish, Ex-Pathfinder)
The tug Pilot Fish, built in 1876 by John Readhead & Co. of South Shields, was completed in December 1876. Constructed under Yard No. 127, she measured 326 GRT and 120 NRT. Her steam engine was also built by John Readhead & Co. of South Shields. Her compound engine developed 200 NHP.
In 1877, she was registered at the Port of Liverpool in the name of Joseph Kelsall et al.
In 1879, she was sold from Liverpool to St. John Steam Tug Co. Ltd.
In 1882, her name was changed to Pathfinder. She belonged to the "ocean-going type tug" class, designed to undertake long-distance towing operations beyond coastal waters.
In 1910, she was sold in Istanbul to Richard Albert Grech's pilotage, towing, and salvage company and entered service at the Dardanelles and Çanakkale.
In 1913, she was purchased from Istanbul by N. C. Zarcalis and A. P. Lascarides and renamed Leonida.
In August 1915, she was requisitioned on behalf of the Ottoman Empire and placed at the disposal of the Ottoman Navy. Her name was not changed.
On 5 October 1915, she was sunk off Tekirdağ by a torpedo fired by the British submarine E12.
Tugs known as "ocean-going tugs" were designed in response to the need for towing over increasingly longer distances. As the world's ports faced growing demand for larger passenger and cargo vessels, there was also a considerable need for barges and, in particular, large dredging pontoons required for harbour construction projects. Since these large structures could not be towed across the open sea to distant ports, they had to be transported in sections aboard ships. However, once they reached their destination ports, considerable difficulties arose because the necessary shipbuilding and assembly skills available in British shipyards were often lacking in those regions.

Stormcock has been cited as an example of "Canoe Bow" type tugboats. Source: P.N. Thomas - “British Steam Tugs”.

“Pilot Fish - Pathfinder” was an “Ocean-going Tugs” class tugboat, similar to the Great Britain and Great Western paddle tugs. Source: P.N. Thomas - “British Steam Tugs”.
In 1859, the 1857-built Victor, from the fleet of tugs owned by William Watkins of London, towed the dredger barge Navigator from Gravesend to Cadiz for £752. On another eight-day voyage, Victor covered 1,150 miles.
In 1866, William Watkins designed an iron-hulled side-wheel tug with sufficient power and seaworthiness to undertake towing operations over longer distances. This tug was to have four boilers and four funnels. However, as there was insufficient space for the coal bunkers, one of the boilers was moved to the forward part of the tug. Thus, a rather unusual tug design emerged, with one funnel at the forward end and two additional funnels immediately ahead of and astern of the side wheels.
This tug was somewhat derisively nicknamed Three Fingered Jack. She had an overall length of 144.4 ft, a gross tonnage of 275 grt, and developed 700 ihp. She consumed a considerable amount of coal, requiring one ton of coal for every four miles. The three-funnelled side-wheel tug was used only for special projects.
The increasing demand for long-distance ocean towing led, in 1883, to the development of more powerful types of tug with twin screws, two closely spaced funnels, and two towing hooks. The first of these was The Knight of the Cross, and the second was The Knight of St. John. The Great Britain and Great Eastern entered service as sister tugs of the Oceanus type.
Foreign tug companies always brought their newly built tugs to the ports of Istanbul and Izmir. In this respect, the wooden- or iron-hulled side-wheel tugs operating particularly in Istanbul were among the new-design tugs of their era.
Steam, Wooden-Hulled, Side-Wheel Tug “Hellespont”
The tug Hellespont, built in 1867 by Readhead Softley & Co. at South Shields, was completed in December 1867. The tug, Yard No. 22, measured 137 grt and 72 nrt, with an overall length of 115.1 ft, a breadth of 198.0 ft, and a depth of 9.9 ft. Her compound steam engine developed 60 nhp.
In 1867, she was registered at South Shields in the names of Richard Albert Grech & James Wardell. She was sold to Richard Albert Grech's pilotage, ship-towing and salvage company and entered service at the Dardanelles.
On 20 April 1878, she was purchased by the British Navy.
She was scrapped on 12 December 1904.
Steam, Screw-Propelled, Iron-Hulled Salvage Tug Colonel Edward A. Gore – (Ex-Helga, Ex-Costance Grech, Ex-Tenedos)
While the salvage tug renamed Costance Grech by Albert Richard Grech was carrying ammunition for the Ottoman Navy, she was captured by Greek warships off Lemnos in October 1912, together with her crew of 23 and soldiers on board.
Originally named Colonel Edward A. Gore, the 283-grt Costance Grech, with an overall length of 43.3 m, a breadth of 43.3 m, and a depth of 4.3 m, was built in 1891 as a yacht at Samuel McKnight & Co. Ltd.'s shipyard in Ayr, with Yard No. 31, for Derrymore, County Clare, Ireland (which at that time was part of the British Empire).
In 1900, she was transferred to the Dublin-based Department of Agriculture and Technical Instruction.
In 1908, she was purchased by the London-based Richard Grech.
In 1912, she entered service in Istanbul under Richard A. Grech.
In 1912, she was seized by the Greek Navy.
In 1941, she was requisitioned by the German Reich. (81)
The twin-screw tug Knight of St. John was a steam-powered Ocean Going Tug built in 1884 for Prendeville of Liverpool. (Source: P. N. Thomas, British Steam Tugs.)
In 1900, she was converted into a shelter vessel for deep-sea fishermen. In 1908, she was purchased by Albert Richard Grech and converted into a salvage vessel, receiving the name Costance Grech. Shortly afterwards, she was dispatched to Preveza to salvage the Antalya torpedo boat, which had gone aground at Preveza.
She was seized by the Greek Navy and renamed Helga, and subsequently Tenedos.
In the Greek Navy, she was used in the reserve fleet as a lighthouse maintenance vessel.
During the First World War, she was again converted into a salvage tug. She was partially sunk as a result of damage sustained when Salamis was bombed by German aircraft on 23 April 1941.
She was subsequently refloated by the Germans, who had occupied Greece, and repaired as an anti-submarine warfare vessel, receiving the pennant number UJ.2016.
On 21 July 1944, while sailing south of Cape Maleas, she was sunk by the British submarine Unsparing.

Salvage tug Semper Paratus
Carlo Canardi
The Steam, Steel-Hulled Tug Semper Paratus
The steam-powered, steel-hulled salvage vessel Buttercup (Official Number 14040), measuring 931 GRT, 322 NRT and 1,250 displacement tons, was built at the Clydeholm yard of Barclay, Curle & Co. Ltd., Glasgow, under Yard No. 534. She was launched on 25 November 1915 and completed for service in December 1915.
The Buttercup had a length overall of 255.4 ft., a beam of 33.7 ft. and a depth of 17.2 ft. Her main engine, built by Barclay, Curle & Co. Ltd., Glasgow, was a three-cylinder triple-expansion steam engine, with cylinders of 22½ inch, 36¾ inch and 60 inch × 28 inch, developing 357 NHP and 2,000 IHP. She was fitted with two coal-fired boilers and had a maximum speed of approximately 16 knots.
She was taken into service on behalf of the British Admiralty.
On 5 February 1920, she was sold to Hughes & Co.
In 1920, she was acquired by the London-based Cecil F. Read & Charles Z. Landi (Ayeready Salvage Co.).
In 1920, she was converted into a salvage vessel.
On 11 August 1921, she was registered at the Port of London, with the notation “1st, ON 146060”, and renamed “Semper Paratus.”
In 1923, she was purchased at Çanakkale by Vincent S. Edmund Grech, although the sale was subsequently annulled by a court in 1926.
In 1926, she was acquired by the London-based C. F. Read, C. Z. Landi and Allert Trust Ltd.
In 1927, she was purchased by 'Imdad' London Ltd., headed by James Stewart, of London.
In 1927, she was acquired in Turkey by Carlo Canardi.
In December 1928, she was taken into dry dock at Piraeus for repairs. (See Lloyd’s Register survey report.)
In 1929, she was registered at the Port of London in the name of 'Imdad' London Ltd.
In 1930, she proceeded to Piraeus, Greece, for repairs.
While at Piraeus in 1930, she was seized following the bankruptcy of her owner.
In 1932, she was seized by the Italian Government and renamed Teseo.
In 1933, she was taken over by the Italian Navy.
On 11 April 1943, she was sunk at Trapani during a bombing raid by British aircraft.
Lloyd’s Register Survey Certificate for Semper Paratus
A separate survey report relating to the Semper Paratus, written in the old Ottoman Turkish style, is also preserved. It reads, in translation, approximately as follows:
The salvage steamship and ocean-going tug Semper Paratus, registered at the Port of London, has a length of 255 feet 6 inches, a beam of 33 feet 6 inches, and a depth of 17 feet 3 inches. Her gross register tonnage is 931 tons. She is fitted with triple-expansion vertical steam machinery, developing 2,300 indicated horsepower. Her speed is 17 miles per hour. Her hull and machinery were built at Glasgow by Barclay, Curle & Co. in December 1915.
Her electrical equipment consists of two very powerful dynamos and two searchlights, each of 3,000 candle-power. Her wireless telegraph apparatus is fitted with powerful 12-inch and 6-inch motors, while her steam salvage pumps are capable of discharging 4,000 tons of water per hour.
She is equipped with Siebe & Gorman Admiralty-type diving equipment and apparatus. Each diving outfit is provided with an underwater telephone and an electric lamp of 3,000 candle-power for use beneath the surface.
For the recovery of vessels which have gone aground or sunk, and for excavation and removal work along coasts and among rocks, she is fitted with excellent compressed-air equipment and apparatus for breaking rock and carrying out other underwater operations. She also carries oxy-acetylene equipment for cutting and welding ironwork, a powerful and large compressed-air installation in the engine room, and workshops for engineers and carpenters.
The workshops include a lathe, screw-cutting machine, circular saw and blacksmith’s equipment, together with fully electrically powered carpentry machinery.
At the stern there is a 50-ton lifting arrangement, heavy derrick masts capable of handling 28 tons, winches, and 50-ton steel and wooden blocks/pulleys, together with every type of modern salvage equipment.
Among these is an exceptionally large and powerful Clarke & Chapman Admiralty-type steam-driven crane, said to be the largest of its kind then in operation among salvage vessels in the world.
She has a speed of 15 miles per hour and carries three motor boats, two lifeboats, two large anchors, Manila ropes and towing wires made of mild steel.
The vessel Semper Paratus, under the ownership and control of Mr. Carlo Canardi Landi, is described as one of the strongest and fastest salvage vessels then in service anywhere in the world.
She operates under Lloyd’s contracts on the “NO CURE, NO PAY” principle—that is, no remuneration is payable unless the operation is successfully completed. Salvage work may also be undertaken under special conditions and agreements where circumstances require.
Wireless call sign: GFMQ Telephone: Beyoğlu 3098 (daytime) Telephone: Beyoğlu 176 (night-time)
The Steam, Screw-Propelled, Iron-Hulled Twin-Screw Tug Samsun
(Ex-Knight of St. John)
The iron-hulled, twin-screw tug “Knight of St. John” was built in 1883 by W. A. Stevens, Birkenhead.
She measured 43.8 metres in length overall, 6.8 metres in beam and 3.5 metres in depth, with a tonnage of 275 GRT and 48 NRT. Her machinery developed 106 NHP.
The design featured two tall funnels placed unusually close together. The purpose of this arrangement was to leave more usable deck space from amidships towards the stern.
In 1884, she entered service under the name “Knight of St. John” for the Liverpool-based Prendeville-Knight St. John Tug Co., and was registered at the Port of Liverpool.
In the same year, ownership was transferred to the Prendeville–Knight of St. John Steamship Co., Liverpool.
While towing the mastless barque “Royal Alexandra” from Rio de Janeiro, the tug was forced to abandon the barque she was towing because of a shortage of coal. She proceeded to St. Vincent, approximately 400 miles away, to obtain coal. However, when she returned, she was unable to find the “Royal Alexandra”.
Some time later, it was learned that the crew of the sailing vessel had managed to reach Barbados under their own resources. There they repaired the vessel’s masts and rigging and subsequently continued their voyage under sail.
In 1896, the tug was purchased by Empreza Insulana de Navegação, Lisbon.
In 1897, she was purchased by Vincent Stephan Emmanuel Grech, based in London and established at Gallipoli. Her name was not changed, and she entered service in the Gallipoli and Çanakkale area.
In the same year, she was purchased by the Ottoman İdare-i Mahsusa and renamed Samsun.
On 28 August 1897, she was transferred to the Ottoman Administration of Navigation (Seyr-i Sefain İdaresi).
In September 1897, she was transferred to the Ottoman Navy and converted at the Imperial Arsenal (Tersane-i Âmire) into a minelayer.
In 1911, she was disarmed.
On 23 November 1914, she entered service as a minelayer.
In the same year, she was sunk at Erdek by the British submarine E2.
The Steel-Hulled Motor, Screw-Propelled Tug Samsun
(Ex-Samsam)
The steel-hulled motor tug Samsam (Official Number 129593) was laid down on 9 November 1910 at the Bowling, Scott & Sons Shipyard, under Yard No.224, and entered service in 1911.
She had a tonnage of 105 GRT, with a length overall of 90.0 ft., a beam of 18.2 ft. and a depth of 8.4 ft.
Her main engine was a triple-expansion steam engine built by Paisley, Fisher & Company, developing 60 NHP and 400 IHP.
Her first owners were John Stewart & Walter Fulton of Glasgow, and she was registered at the Port of Glasgow on 9 August 1911.
In the same month, she was purchased for the Ottoman Navy and renamed Samsun.
She was based at Çanakkale.

Steam Tugs Associated with The Grech Shipping interests
“Menderes” — ex “Semender”
Steel-hulled, steam-driven, screw-propelled tug
The steel-hulled, steam-driven, screw-propelled tug “Semender” was laid down on 19 January 1911 at the yard of Scott & Sons, Bowling, under Yard No. 225. Completed and placed in service later that year, she measured 105 gross register tons, with an overall length of 90.0 ft, a beam of 18.2 ft, and a depth of 8.4 ft. Her Official Number was 129594.
She was fitted with a three-cylinder triple-expansion steam engine manufactured by Paisley, Fisher & Company, developing 60 NHP and 400 IHP.
Her first owners were John Stewart & Walter Fulton of Glasgow, and she was registered at the Port of Glasgow on 9 August 1911.
In the same month she was acquired on behalf of the Ottoman Navy, renamed “Samsun”, and stationed at Çanakkale.
On 1 May 1912, while engaged in mine-clearance operations off Akbaş, she struck a Turkish mine and sank. Her complement of 15 men, together with seven civilians, lost their lives in the sinking.
“Richard Grech” and “Underwriters”
Steel-hulled, steam-driven, screw-propelled tugs
The following particulars are drawn from the surviving official records of vessels constructed in 1910 at the shipyard of H. Vuijk & Zonen, Capelle aan den IJssel, Netherlands, for service at Çanakkale and Gallipoli. Source: H. Vuijk & Zonen Archives.
In 1912, Richard Grech placed an order with H. Vuijk & Zonen at Capelle aan den IJssel for two steam tugs, to be named “Richard Grech” and “Underwriters.”
In the same year the two vessels were requisitioned on behalf of the Ottoman Government and transferred to the Ottoman Seyr-i Sefain Administration. During the Turkish National Struggle, both vessels performed important and hazardous duties in support of the Nationalist cause.

“Richard Grech” — “Noor-ul Bahr”
Steel-hulled, steam-driven, screw-propelled vessel
The vessel subsequently known as “Richard Grech” was completed in December 1893 by Gourlay Brothers & Co., Dundee, and entered service as a general-cargo coaster.
She measured 297 GRT and 180 NRT and was fitted with a triple-expansion steam engine developing 59 hp.
Her dimensions were 150 x 23.2 x 10.7 ft.
Her first owners were Société du Tambac, headed by Richard Grech of Istanbul.
In 1897, the vessel was transferred to the Istanbul-based firm of V.S.E. Grech.
She remained employed in towing and general cargo work until 1924.
In 1926, she was broken up at Istanbul.
“Richard Grech”
Iron-hulled, steam-driven, screw-propelled tug
In 1910, the firm of V.C. Grech, established at Çanakkale and Gallipoli, ordered a steam tug from H. Vuijk & Zonen, Capelle aan den IJssel, to be named “Richard Grech.”
Built under Yard No. 365, the tug had an overall length of 28.28 metres, a beam of 6.71 metres, and a depth of 3.50 metres.
Her compound steam engine, manufactured by G.T. Gray of South Shields, developed 76 NHP. Her maximum speed was 10 knots.
In 1912, she was acquired by the Ottoman İdare-i Mahsusa and transferred to the Ottoman Seyr-i Sefain Administration.
In September 1912, she was transferred to the Ottoman Navy.
In 1918, following the end of the First World War, she was returned to her owner by the Command of the Allied Occupation Forces.
“Maggie Grech”
Steel-hulled, steam-driven, screw-propelled vessel
The vessel later known as “Maggie Grech” was built in 1888 at Sheerness Dockyard. She measured 642 GRT and 185 NRT, with an overall length of 59.6 metres and a beam of 8.5 metres.
Built with a steel hull and fitted with two shafts and two propellers, she was a steam-powered vessel of sloop type.
She was launched on 1 May 1888 and completed her sea trials on 6 June 1888.
On 24 June 1889, she entered service with the British Royal Navy under the name “Basilisk.”
She was withdrawn from naval service in 1905.
On 18 November 1905, she was purchased at Çanakkale by Vincent S. Grech, who converted her for service as a salvage and rescue tug.
Renamed “Maggie Grech,” she entered service at Çanakkale and Gallipoli, remaining registered in the British shipping register and flying the British flag.
On 14 October 1910, she was entered in the French shipping register and, flying the French flag, commenced service from the Port of Istanbul.
On 18 March 1915, she was requisitioned on behalf of the Ottoman Government.
In April 1919, she was returned to Vincent E. Grech.
In 1924, she was sold for breaking up.

“Mary Louise”
Wooden-hulled, steam-driven, paddle tug
The wooden-hulled, paddle steam tug “Mary Louise” was built in 1878 at South Shields for James Wardle, under Yard No. 60.
She measured 100 GRT and 10 NRT and completed her sea trials in July 1878.
She was fitted with a compound steam engine manufactured by J. P. Rennoldson.
Her dimensions were 30.0 metres overall, with a beam of 5.8 metres and a depth of 2.9 metres.
On 3 March 1901, she was acquired on behalf of the London-based firm of Vincent S. Grech.
Registered in the British shipping register and flying the British flag, the “Mary Louise” entered service at Çanakkale and Gallipoli.
On 3 November 1914, she was requisitioned at Gallipoli on behalf of the Ottoman Government.
In April 1915, she was withdrawn from service and laid up at Gallipoli.
“Mathilda Foscolo” — “Beatrice Grech”
Iron-hulled, steam-driven, paddle tug
The iron-hulled, side-wheel steam tug “Mathilda Foscolo” was built at Hepple & Co., North Shields, and completed on 9 July 1883. She entered service at the end of August 1883.
She was acquired for Foscolo Mango & Co., a firm associated with the Istanbul-based Levantine shipping agent and steamship owner Foscolo Mango.
Named “Mathilda Foscolo,” the vessel measured 192 GRT and 111 NRT, with an overall length of 121.6 ft, a beam of 21.2 ft, and a depth of 10.6 ft.
Her single-expansion steam engine, manufactured by Hepple & Co. of North Shields, developed 90 NHP.
In 1897, she was purchased at Çanakkale by Richard Albert Grech and renamed “Beatrice Grech.”
Her entry in Lloyd’s Register continued until 1908.
“Underwriters” — “Gazal”
Iron-hulled, steam-driven, screw-propelled tug
In 1910, the firm of V.C. Grech, based at Çanakkale and Gallipoli, ordered a steam tug from H. Vuijk & Zonen at Capelle aan den IJssel, Netherlands, to be named “Underwriters.”
Built under Yard No. 366, she had an overall length of 28.28 metres, a beam of 6.71 metres, and a depth of 3.50 metres.
Her compound steam engine, manufactured by G.T. Gray of South Shields, developed 76 NHP, giving her a maximum speed of 10 knots.
In 1912, the tug was requisitioned and transferred to the Ottoman Seyr-i Sefain Administration, where she was renamed “Gazal.”
During the Turkish National Struggle, she was placed under the authority of the Trabzon Naval Transport Command.
Together with the motor vessel “Rüsumat No. 4,” which had escaped from Istanbul and was operating on behalf of the Ankara Government, the “Gazal” undertook one or two clandestine voyages to Russia.
The vessels were coal-fired and consequently emitted a conspicuous plume of black smoke from their funnels, which could be detected by enemy vessels at considerable distance. This made the voyages particularly hazardous.
To reduce this danger, Osman Bey of Rize arranged for the “Gazal” to be converted in Russia from coal-firing to oil-firing, thereby making subsequent voyages considerably safer.
The crews of both vessels were not receiving regular pay from the Government. Osman Bey therefore also undertook to provide them with the money, food and other provisions they required.
By the end of 1920, the “Rüsumat No. 4” and the “Gazal” had assumed a substantial share of the transportation burden between Russia and Anatolia.
By a resolution adopted by the Grand National Assembly of Turkey on 6 September 1920, the vessel was placed under the authority of the Government of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey.
At this time the “Gazal” was lying in Russia without a crew. Pursuant to Telegram No. 7, dated 7 November 1920, sent by the Ministry of National Defence to the Trabzon Port Authority, the following officers were appointed:
Senior Lieutenant Savmi Efendi — Master
Captain Adil Efendi — Mate
Captain Sadi Efendi — Chief Engineer
Captain Kaşif Efendi — Second Engineer
Captain Sadi Efendi had previously served as an engineer aboard the Aydın Reis gunboat.
In December 1923, the “Gazal” was transferred back to the Seyr-i Sefain Administration.
In 1954, she was withdrawn from service and sold. She was acquired by the Metear Dalgıç Company.
On 24 January 1968, while proceeding from Kadıköy to Yalova with a cargo of construction materials, the “Gazal” sank in the vicinity of Kınalıada. The vessel and her crew were lost.
Source: Milliyet newspaper archive, 24 March 1968.

Due to the disappearance of the tugboat Gazal, a announcement titled “Missing Vessel Notice” was published by the General Directorate of Başak Sigorta A.Ş. in the Milliyet Newspaper dated March 24, 1968.
This announcement states: “The 114 gross ton towing tugboat named‘GAZAL’, insured by our company, departed from Kadıköy on January 24, 1968, along with its 6 crew members, and no news has been received fromthe vessel since its departure date. We kindly request those who have information regarding the fate of the said vessel to report the outcome to
our Company Headquarters located at Halaskagazi Caddesi No.15 Harbiye, Istanbul.”

 

Paddle tug “Olga”.

A photograph of the tugboat “John Batey,” identified in the Edouard Spartali archive. The building in the background, which was being demolished, together with its piers, belonged to the Dersaadet Rıhtım Dok ve Antrepo Şirket-i Osmaniyesi (Ottoman Pier, Wharf and Warehousing Company), whose demolition began in 1910. Source: Edouard Spartali (1879–1956) archive; Craig Encer.

Another  photograph of the tugboat “John Batey,” and paddle tug “Lizzie”at Galata Piers.

Vincent S. Grech – Antonio Griscti
Steam, Wooden-Hulled, Side-Wheel Tug Lizzie – (Ex-Omonoria)
The steam-powered, wooden-hulled, side-wheel tug Omonoria, launched on 9 May 1879 from the yard of Wouldhave & Johnson at North Shields, entered service in June 1879.
The tug, named Omonoria, had the following particulars:Gross tonnage: 125 grt.,Net tonnage: 14 nrt.,Length overall: 108.0 ft.,Breadth: 18.1 ft.,Depth: 9 ft.
Her single-expansion steam engine, manufactured by Hepple & Co. of South Shields, developed 60 nhp.
Her first owner was Hepple & Co.
In 1879 she was sold to Pandermaly Brothers, based at Şıra.The tug entered service in Istanbul.
In 1892 she was purchased at Çanakkale by V. S. E. Grech, who gave her the name Lizzie, while retaining her registration in the British Register of Shipping.
She was subsequently purchased by Antonio Griscti (G. Cappola & Co.), while remaining on the British register.Her entry in Lloyd’s Register survives through and including the 1902 edition.

Richard Grech
Steam, Wooden-Hulled, Side-Wheel Tug Surprise
The steam-powered, wooden-hulled, side-wheel tug Surprise, built in 1852 at Northam on the Thames by Money Wigram & Sons, was initially owned by Lloyds Steam Towing Co., a partnership between Richard Ross of Gravesend and William Caulfield of Blackwall.
The Surprise entered service on 17 October 1852. Her two-cylinder compound main steam engine, built by J. Stewart of Blackwall, developed 80 nhp.
Her principal particulars were:
Gross tonnage: 122 grt.
Net tonnage: 36 nrt.
Length overall: 111.4 ft.
Breadth: 16.6 ft.
Depth: 9.9 ft.
Maximum speed: 10 knots.
On 26 August 1852 she earned £150 for towing and assisting a Spanish brigantine-type sailing merchant vessel from the Mouse Shoal off London.
On 4 July 1854, she earned £120 for refloating the vessel Silence, which had been damaged in a collision with another vessel at the entrance to Woolwich Harbour and had subsequently sunk in shallow water.
In March 1857, the crew of the sailing vessel Vixen, which had gone aground on Maplin Shoal, was rescued.
In 1858, the Surprise, jointly owned by Richard Ross and William Beare Caulfield, was registered at Blackwall-Coldharbour.
In May 1862 she was put up for sale and laid up at West India Dock, London. On 23 July 1863 she was sold by auction.
In 1864, Thomas Readhead of Liverpool took the tug in hand for repairs and replaced her boiler. Her registered particulars were subsequently altered to:111 grt.,32 nrt.
Length overall: 115.1 ft.,Breadth: 18.0 ft.,Depth: 9.8 ft.
On 21 January 1865, while navigating the River Mersey, she collided with the steamship Sofia near Woodside Ferry and sustained serious damage.
In 1865 she was purchased by Richard Grech, a Maltese national residing in Çanakkale. He did not change her name and placed her in towing service in Istanbul.
In 1886 she was transferred to a foreign purchaser and continued operating in the Port of Istanbul.

Tug Operators Whose Funnels Bore the Maltese Cross as a “Funnel Mark”
John Batey (1840–1874)
John Batey was one of the early pioneers of the steam tug industry on the River Tyne. Although he died at the remarkably young age of only 34, he laid the foundations of the tugboat enterprise which was subsequently developed by his family and eventually became one of Britain’s best-known tug companies, John Batey & Son Ltd., and later Lawson-Batey Tugs Ltd.
Early Years
John Batey was born in 1840 in the Tyneside region of north-east England. At that time, the region was one of the principal centres of Britain's shipbuilding industry and coal export trade.During his youth, the River Tyne was experiencing extraordinary commercial growth. In this period, steam tugs were becoming indispensable for enabling sailing vessels to navigate safely through the narrow and tidal sections of the river.
Very few surviving documents provide information about his childhood and education. Nevertheless, contemporary records indicate that he entered the tugboat industry at a relatively young age.
Career as a Tug Owner
By the early 1870s, John Batey had begun operating as an independent tug owner in Newcastle upon Tyne.His business principally provided:Harbour towing;
Towing sailing vessels entering and leaving the River Tyne;
Auxiliary services for vessels engaged in the coal trade;
Salvage and emergency towing when required.
At that time, tug operators on the River Tyne competed intensely for towing contracts. Successful owners were able to maintain their businesses through reliable service, experienced crews and well-maintained fleets of steam tugs.
The fleet owned by John Batey during his lifetime was probably quite modest in size. Nevertheless, his enterprise had acquired a sufficiently strong reputation to continue operating after his death.
Death and Legacy
John Batey died in 1874. Because of his premature death, he did not live to witness the great development and expansion that the steam tug industry would experience during the final quarter of the nineteenth century.
His death, however, did not bring the business to an end.
His family continued the enterprise under the name John Batey & Son, and the company gradually became one of the leading towing organisations on the River Tyne.
In the following years, the company added numerous tugs to its fleet, including:
Cruiser (1874)
Comet (1876)
Criterion (1876)
Hercules (1877)
Mentor (1883)
Nestor (1883)
Bulldog (acquired in later years)
Titan (added to the fleet toward the end of the nineteenth century)
In 1920, the company was reorganised under the name Lawson-Batey Tugs Ltd., continuing the family tradition throughout the twentieth century.
John Batey & Son (1874–1906)
Following John Batey’s death, J. Batey & Son Ltd. was established with the participation of his son.During 1869–1870, the company sent several tugs to Istanbul and Russian ports for operation in the Black Sea, among them the tug master Francis Batey. All of these vessels were side-wheel tugs.In 1897, John Thomas Batey, son of Francis Batey, became a partner in the company.On 26 June 1906, J. Batey & Son was converted into a limited company.
During this period, the company’s fleet consisted entirely of side-wheel tugs, including:
Flying Scotchman, John Batey, Rapid, Titan, Harwich, and Charles Dickens.
In September 1914, the screw-propelled, steel-hulled tug Francis Batey, built by Hepple & Co. Ltd. of South Shields, was awaiting sale to purchasers in Istanbul when, owing to the outbreak of the First World War, she was purchased by the British Navy.
Steam, Screw-Propelled, Wooden-Hulled Tug Yanaşır – (Ex-Eole)
The steam-powered, screw-propelled, wooden-hulled tug Eole, owned by the Compagnie Française de Remorquage de Pilotage et de Sauvetage Marseille & Constantinople, was built on 20 May 1895 at the F. Barachini shipyard in Sestri Ponente.
Her particulars were:Gross tonnage: 108 grt.,Net tonnage: 25 nrt.,Length overall: 85.8 ft. / 26.13 m.,Breadth: 19.7 ft. / 5.97 m,Depth: 11.5 ft. / 3.48 m.
Main engine: two-cylinder compound steam engine built by Wilson & Maclaren.Power: 42 nhp.,Maximum speed: 9 knots.,Official Number: 15133.
She entered service in the Port of Istanbul in 1906. At that time, the company’s director was S. Pandermalis.
Like the company’s other vessels, she remained registered under the French register and operated under the French flag in Istanbul as a towing vessel.
In 1912, Captain Polychronis was serving as master of the tug in the Port of Istanbul.
In November 1914, she was requisitioned by the Ottoman Government, and on 6 October 1915 she was placed in service at the Dardanelles.
She was withdrawn from service in November 1918.
In December 1918, she was returned to the Compagnie de Remorquage de Pilotage et de Sauvetage Marseille & Constantinople.
In 1923, she was requisitioned and transferred to Zonguldak Ereğli Kömür İşletmesi T.A.Ş., and her name was changed to Yanaşır.
On 28 April 1937 she was transferred to Zonguldak Etibank Ereğli Kömürleri İşletmesi T.A.Ş.
On 23 October 1943 she was transferred to the Etibank Ereğli Kömürleri İşletmesi Müessesesi.
On 22 May 1957 she was transferred to the Turkish Coal Enterprises (Türkiye Kömür İşletmeleri Kurumu).
In 1962 she was sold for scrap.
Steam, Steel-Hulled, Screw-Propelled Salvage Vessel / Tug Paris
In 1892, the vessel Paris was built for the Towage & Salvage Co. of London on Slipway No. 231 at D. J. Dunlop & Co., Port Glasgow, under the management/presidency of J. Fitzgerald.
Her Official Number was 105886.
Her particulars were:Gross tonnage: 116 grt.,Net tonnage: 33 nrt.,Length overall: 90.2 ft.,
Breadth: 19.1 ft.,Depth: 8.9 ft.
Main engine: two-cylinder compound steam engine built by David J. Dunlop of Port Glasgow.
Maximum speed: 10.5 knots.
In 1896 she was purchased by Française de Remorquage de Pilotage & de Sauvetage S.A. of Marseille, headed by Stelio Pandermaly (Pandermalis). She was entered in the French register and began operating in Istanbul under the French flag.
In 1906 she was transferred to S. Pandermaly, while remaining within the company structure.
In September 1914 she was requisitioned by the Ottoman Government.
In November 1914 she entered service as a minesweeper under the name Paris.
She was subsequently commissioned at the Dardanelles as a coastal security vessel.
In April 1919 she was returned to S. Pandermaly and the Compagnie Française de Remorquage de Pilotage et de Sauvetage Société Anonyme.
In 1919 she sank in the Black Sea.
Steam, Steel-Hulled, Screw-Propelled Tug Omonia – (Ex-Liverpool)
In 1895, the vessel Liverpool was built for the Towage & Salvage Co. of London on Slipway No. 228 at David J. Dunlop & Co., Port Glasgow, under the management/presidency of J. Fitzgerald.
Her Official Number was 105787.Her particulars were:Gross tonnage: 116 grt.,Net tonnage: 33 nrt.,Length overall: 90.2 ft.,Breadth: 19.1 ft.,Depth: 8.9 ft.
Main engine: two-cylinder compound steam engine built by David J. Dunlop of Port Glasgow.
Maximum speed: 10.5 knots.
She was launched on 22 November 1892.
In 1896 she entered service in the fleet of London Towage & Salvage Co. Ltd.
In 1897 she was purchased for Française de Remorquage de Pilotage & de Sauvetage S.A. of Marseille, headed by S. Pandermaly, renamed Omonia, and entered in the French register.
She began operating in Istanbul under the French flag.
In 1906 she was transferred to Stelio Pandermaly, while remaining within the company structure.
On 9 January 1914 she was requisitioned by the Ottoman Government.
In November 1914 she entered service as a minesweeper.
In April 1919 she was returned to Stelio Pandermaly and the Compagnie Française de Remorquage de Pilotage et de Sauvetage Société Anonyme.
In 1919 she sank in the Black Sea.
Coudon – (Ex-Odessa)
In 1897, the Odessa was built at David J. Dunlop & Co., Inch Yard, Port Glasgow, for the Paris-based French company Compagnie de Remorquage de Sauvetage et de Pilotage, Marseille & Constantinople, for towing vessels in the Port of Istanbul.
She was Slipway No. 229, launched on 18 December 1895 and delivered in January 1896.
She was a steam-powered, steel-hulled, screw-propelled vessel.
Her particulars were:Gross tonnage: 111 grt.,Net tonnage: 33 nrt.,Length overall: 90.2 ft.,
Breadth: 19.1 ft.,Depth: 8.9 ft.,Official Number: 105784.
Main engine: two-cylinder compound steam engine built by David J. Dunlop & Co., Port Glasgow.,Power: 60 nhp / 357 ihp.,Maximum speed: 10.5 knots.
Her first managing/owning company was the London-registered Towage & Salvage Co. Ltd., which provided vessel-towing and salvage services in Istanbul on behalf of the Compagnie de Remorquage, de Sauvetage et de Pilotage, Marseille & Constantinople.
In 1897, Odessa was registered under the French flag in the name of the Compagnie de Remorquage, de Sauvetage et de Pilotage, Marseille & Constantinople.
Although she had been built specifically for service in the Port of Istanbul, she was purchased in 1898 by the French Navy (Marine Nationale), based in Paris, and registered under the name Coudon.
She was assigned to towing duties at the French naval port at Toulon.
Following this profitable sale, the Compagnie de Remorquage, de Sauvetage et de Pilotage, Marseille & Constantinople ordered another tug of similar characteristics for service in the Port of Istanbul.
The Coudon was withdrawn from active service in 1931 and laid up, subsequently being used for the production of steam.On 27 April 1939 she was condemned and sold for scrap.

Among the Galata Bankers, the Tubini and Corpi families, who provided high-interest loans to the Palace, also held significant influence in the field of commerce. In the photograph, the Corpi and Tubini families are seen at the Corpi family's waterfront mansion (yalı) in Beylerbeyi.

The tugboats seen at the foot of the Karaköy Bridge, identified by their funnel liveries, belonged to Raph Denham Jacob, Stephen Conter, Ralph Denham Jacob, Sotiris Hazzopoulos, Paul Hunter, and Vernicos Spiridon Gopsevich."
Pappa D. Calogro
The Steam-Powered, Wooden-Hulled, Side-Wheel Tug “Biga” – (Ex-Malta)
Built in 1870 at the Readhead Softley & Co. shipyard in South Shields, the wooden-hulled, side-wheel tug “Malta”, Yard No. 65, was completed on 18 July 1870. She measured 112 grt, 31 nrt, with an overall length of 102.8 ft., a breadth of 18.9 ft., and a depth of 10.1 ft. She entered service in September 1870.
Her single-expansion steam main engine, developing 73 nhp, was built by Readhead Softley & Co. of South Shields.
The original owner of the tug was William George, a British Levantine from South Shields who had settled in Istanbul and was the proprietor of George & Co.
“Malta” was registered at South Shields on 3 September 1870 and departed for Gibraltar on 20 September 1870, bound for Istanbul. After taking on the necessary supplies at Malta, she proceeded to Istanbul.
She arrived in Istanbul on 7 October 1870 and remained in the port, operating as a British-flagged tug until 1892.
In 1875, she was purchased by Emmanuele Pelegrini, an Istanbul-based Italian Levantine of Maltese origin.
In 1892, she was purchased by the Istanbul-based Italian Levantines Pappa De Calogero and Francisco Grimo.
Her British port registration was closed in 1898.
In 1901, she was purchased by the Ottoman Idare-i Mahsusa, and her name was changed to “Biga.”
She was still recorded as active in Lloyd’s Register until 1908.
In 1909, she was broken up in the Golden Horn.
İdare-i Mahsusa
The Steam-Powered, Steel-Hulled, Screw Tug “San’a”
According to the available information, the tug was built in England in 1897. She was a steam-powered, steel-hulled, screw-propelled tug of 75 grt and 48 nrt.
She was fitted with a two-cylinder compound steam engine developing 200 ihp, giving her a maximum speed of 6 knots.
In 1900, the Ottoman Idare-i Mahsusa purchased the vessel and named her “San’a.”
In 1910, she was transferred to the Ottoman Seyr-i Sefain Administration.
In March 1915, she was placed at the disposal of the Ottoman Navy and sent to Gallipoli.
In 1923, she was transferred to the Turkish Seyr-i Sefain Administration.
In 1933, she was transferred to the Deniz Bank Istanbul Port Administration.
She was withdrawn from service in 1953.
The Tugboats “Fiddler,” “Lord Warden,” “Punch,” “Monarch” and “Britannia” Operated in the Port of Istanbul by the Galata Bankers Tubini and John Corpi
In 1833, John Rogers Watkins and his fourteen-year-old son William Watkins established a limited company and began providing ship-towing services on the River Thames, initially operating the tug “Lady Dundas.”
John Watkins ordered a wooden-hulled side-wheel tug from H. S. White’s shipyard in North Shields and named her “Monarch.”
The tugboats “Fiddler,” “Lord Warden” and “Punch” are also recorded as belonging to Tubini–John Corpi, one of the Galata banking families, and as having provided towing, salvage and pilotage services in the Port of Istanbul.
The houses and mansions along the shoreline between Bahariye and Kadıköy in Kadıköy belonged to the Tubini family, and the street was recorded as “Tubini Street.”
Steam-powered, side-wheel, iron-hulled tug “Lord Warden.” Source: Tyne Built Tugs & Builders.
The Steam-Powered, Side-Wheel, Iron-Hulled Tug “Lord Warden”
Although Tubini–Corpi does not appear in the vessel’s registry, owing to the concessions involved, the tug is attributed to Tubini–Corpi, as were the other vessels.
She was one of the foreign-flagged tugboats operating in the Port of Istanbul and provided towing services.
The Wooden-Hulled, Steam-Powered, Side-Wheel Tug “Dragon”
Another tug built in England and subsequently brought to the Port of Istanbul was “Dragon.”
The identity of her first owner has not been established. “Dragon” was built at Sunderland in 1826. She was steam-powered, wooden-hulled and side-wheel propelled.
She had a tonnage of 43 tons, with an overall length of 62.7 ft., a breadth of 15.0 ft., and a depth of 7.4 ft.
In 1843, she was sold at Stockton.
On 4 September 1845, she was purchased by Benjamin Huntley of Hartlepool.
In 1845, following a major rebuilding, she was reconstructed as a vessel of 65 grt and 19 nrt.
On 2 November 1855, she was purchased by Richard Swan of North Shields.
In June 1855, she departed for Istanbul.
On 26 June 1855, she underwent brief repairs at Lowestoft after developing leaks in her hull seams.
She continued to provide towing services in the Port of Istanbul until 1859. The circumstances of her loss are not recorded.
Her registry was cancelled in 1863.

The Wooden-Hulled, Steam-Powered, Side-Wheel Tug “Captain Washington”
The wooden-hulled, steam-powered, side-wheel tug “Captain Washington” was built in 1853 at A. Woodhouse of South Shields and entered service in February 1853.
She measured 80 grt and 27 nrt, with an overall length of 79.7 ft., a breadth of 16.0 ft., and a depth of 9.1 ft.
Her steam main engine, manufactured by William Scott of North Shields, developed 40 nhp.
On 12 February 1853, she was registered at Shields in the name of J. Hutchinson.
In 1855, she was purchased by William Wright of South Shields.
On 5 July 1855, she departed the Tyne for Istanbul.
In 1857, she was purchased by W. Shaw of Shields.
On 3 January 1859, she was sold to a foreign purchaser.
Her subsequent fate is unknown.
The Steam-Powered, Side-Wheel, Wooden-Hulled Tug “Fiddler”
The side-wheel, wooden-hulled tug “Fiddler,” built in 1840 at James Dowey’s yard in North Shields and believed to have belonged to the Tubini–Corpi family, appears in Lloyd’s Register for the last time in 1860.
The Lloyd’s Register records of various tugs of this type that entered service in Ottoman ports such as Istanbul and Izmir are incomplete. This may be attributed to the limited facilities and recording practices of the period.
“Fiddler,” measuring 78 grt and 20 nrt, with an overall length of 69.5 ft., a breadth of 16.3 ft., and a depth of 8.5 ft., was fitted with a single-expansion steam engine developing 20 nhp.
Her first owner was William Watkins of London.
In 1841, she was purchased by John R. Watkins of London.
In 1847, William Watkins reacquired her.
In 1848, she was purchased by William and Richard Sutcliffe of Millwall.
No further record of her appears in Lloyd’s Register after 1860.
The Steam-Powered, Side-Wheel, Wooden-Hulled Tug “Britannia”
There are records of eight tugboats named “Britannia” built in shipyards on the Tyne between 1852 and 1871.
However, none of these records specifies which of them belonged to Tubini–Corpi.
As in the case of the tugs “Fiddler” and “Lord Warden,” owing to the concessions involved, she was one of the foreign-flagged tugboats operating in the Port of Istanbul under the name of Tubini–Corpi, while retaining her original name. However, there is no conclusive documentary evidence.
The wooden-hulled side-wheel “Britannia,” built by Hepple & Landells of North Shields, measured 71 grt and 26 nrt. Her first owner was Edward Pearson of North Shields.
In 1872, she was purchased by George H. Ross of London.
No further registry information concerning this tug has been found.
The Steam-Powered, Side-Wheel, Iron-Hulled Tug “Monarch”
The steam-powered, iron-hulled, side-wheel tug “Monarch” was built at a shipyard in South Shields in 1854 and launched in the same year.
Her main engine developed 80 nhp.
The tug measured 122 grt and 46 nrt, with overall dimensions of 95.4 × 17.5 × 9.7 ft.
On 6 July 1854, she was registered in the name of the Southampton Steam Towing Co.
She was subsequently sold to the Galata bankers Tubini–Corpi in Istanbul and entered service there.
Registry records survive until 1870.
They were Bankers — and knew How to Exploit Commercial Opportunities to the Full
Tubini and Corpi were known, along with such prominent Galata bankers as Comando and George Zarifi, as financiers who extended credit to the Ottoman government.
They had placed the state in such a dependent position that, if the loans and interest they had provided were not repaid on time, they had provisions inserted into the loan agreements allowing them to seize the state’s first tithe-tax (aşar) revenues as security for their claims.
George Zarifi refused to become an Ottoman subject and, as a shipowner, preferred to fly the Greek flag on his vessels.
Tubini and Corpi, meanwhile, recognized the demand for tugboats in the Port of Istanbul and developed a separate line of business by bringing tugboats from Britain either for resale or for operation themselves.
When a loan extended by Corpi to the Ottoman government was not repaid, he appealed to a French court, and eventually French naval vessels occupied the island of Mytilene (Lesbos).
The revealing “Tubini and Corpi Loan Agreement for 15,000,000 Kuruş, dated 11 February 1867” contained the following noteworthy First Article:
Preamble: His Excellency Mehmed Rüştü Pasha, Grand Vizier, and His Excellency Mehmed Rüştü Pasha, Minister of Finance, acting on behalf of His Imperial Majesty the Sultan’s Government, and the undersigned representatives of the bankers Tubini and Corpi in Istanbul, have agreed upon the following terms:
Article 1: Messrs. Tubini and Corpi lend to the Government of His Imperial Majesty the Sultan the sum of 15,000,000 kuruş, in five-kuruş coins. This amount was received in full and in cash by the Imperial Government on 1/13 November 1866 (1282 AH).
The Imperial Government undertakes to repay the above-mentioned sum to the lenders, beginning eight months from the date hereof, at an interest rate of 1 percent per month, commencing on 1/13 July 1867 (1283 AH), in instalments of four million kuruş over a period of four months.
The principal and interest are to be repaid in full upon the expiration of the agreement on 1/13 November 1867. Repayment shall be secured from the proceeds of the first aşar tax sales of the Imperial Treasury for the same year.
Panayotti Pantaleon
Panayotti Pantaleon Company — “Navigation Orientale, Smyrna”
When examining the list of steamship companies carrying cargo and passengers to Izmir in 1908, one finds, alongside the traditional European-established agencies, the agency of the P. Pantaleon Shipping company, an Ottoman Greek entrepreneur, which was likewise P. Pantaleon et Frères Ltd.
Eleven years after the establishment in Istanbul in 1902 of the Chambre des Maritimes de Navigation Étrangère, a similar institution was founded in Izmir in 1913 for the same reasons: the Chambre Maritime de Smyrne — Izmir Chamber of Maritime Commerce.
A copy of the organization’s statutes was held in the archives of Hendrik Dutilh. It appears that only one copy of this document has survived to the present day.
When examining the list of steamship companies carrying cargo and passengers to Izmir in 1908, the agency of the P. Pantaleon shipping company, an Ottoman Greek entrepreneur, was again identified as P. Pantaleon et Frères Ltd., distinct from the traditional European agencies.
The agency of the shipping company of Hacı Davud Farkouh was listed as Pr. Anatolois, A. Kiriazis and Destunis Yanulatos.
The agency for Russian ships was given as G. Begleris, while that of Karnezi was N. Pappas.
Advertisements published in newspapers such as the Levant Herald Tribune during those years also indicate that the agency of the Ottoman Greek shipping company Iperokeanos Elliniki was D. I. Alecras.
Two directories listing the steamship agencies operating in Izmir are particularly significant.
The first was Mihail I. Mihailidis’s “World Commercial Directory for the Year 1908”(Pankosmios Emborikos Odigos tu Etus 1908), printed in Izmir.
The second was G. N. Mihail’s “Greek Directory 1920” (Ellinikos Odigos), printed in Athens.
These directories list, as of 1908, the companies acting as shipowners and agents in Izmir, their shipping companies and agencies, together with their addresses.
Another important source is the Indicateur Commercial of Smyrna 1898–99.
The records for 1919 contain the names of numerous ship agents, including Ioannis Papadimitrios, N. Missir at Onisser Passage, Ephraim Cohen and D. I. Alevras at the Quay, S. Iliadis at Mithat Pasha Passage, Pierre Dorsumet and Edoardo D’Andria at the Quay, Zoli and Alevras, O. H. Hansen, I. Zumbulakis, Andreas Arnavutoglu, and D. and A. Varvetian on Bakırçiyan Street.
These agents obtained tugboats according to demand through their own commercial networks.Some of them, such as P. Pantaléon and Stelio Pandermali, also appear as tugboat owners in their own right.
Panayotti Pantaleon — Navigation Orientale
P. Pantaléon (Navigation Orientale) was a shipping company. Demosthène Pantaléon was a ship agent in Izmir.As a shipowner, he generally gave his vessels names such as “Anatoli,” “Eleni” and “Smyrni.”
Vincent S. E. Grech — Perikles Kendros
The Steam-Powered, Screw-Propelled, Steel-Hulled Tug “Andros” – (Ex-Knight of St. Patrick)
Built in 1885 at Grangemouth Dockyard as the steam-powered, screw-propelled, steel-hulled tug “Knight of St. Patrick,” she was originally owned by the St. Patrick Steam Tug Co., based in Liverpool, represented by J. Prendiville & Co.
In 1893, she was sold to V. S. E. Grech, a company based in Liverpool.
The firm provided ship-towing and salvage services in the Çanakkale and Gallipoli region.
In 1905, she was purchased by an Istanbul shipowner and renamed “Andros.”
D. Delagramatikas
Because of the war and tensions between the Ottoman Empire and Greece, the tug was sold/transferred at Piraeus to Yannoulatos Cie à Vapeur Ionienne (Yannoulatos Bros.)
The tug was registered under the Greek flag.
However, while she was in the Port of Istanbul in October 1912, she was seized by the state.
In 1914, she was returned to the shipping company and released.
73
In August 1915, she was purchased on behalf of the British Navy for wartime requirements during the First World War and continued operating in the Port of Istanbul.
In August 1922, she was purchased by Perikles Kendros, an Istanbul-based shipowner and proprietor of the towing and salvage company P. & A. Kendros, established in Istanbul.
“France” – (Ex-Penguin)
The steam-powered, iron-hulled, screw-propelled tug “Penguin” was built in 1900 at Cox & Co.’s Falmouth Dockyards (Yard No. 78) for William Rowe.
She measured 187 grt and 25 nrt, with an overall length of 120.0 ft., a breadth of 21.0 ft., and a depth of 12.5 ft. She was registered at Falmouth under British registry, Official Number 109227.Entering service on 16 December 1900, “Penguin” was fitted with a three-cylinder triple-expansion steam engine built by Cox & Co., developing 700 ihp, and had a maximum speed of 10 knots.
She was purchased by Compagnie Française de Remorquage, de Pilotage & de Sauvetage, Marseille & Constantinople, directed by Stelio Pandermalis.
Her name was changed to “France”, and she was registered under the French flag.
While providing towing services in the Port of Istanbul, she was seized on behalf of the Ottoman Navy in September 1914 and employed as a minesweeper.
In 1915, she was assigned to salvage duties.
In April 1919, she was returned to Compagnie Française de Remorquage, de Pilotage & de Sauvetage, Marseille & Constantinople, directed by S. Pandermalis.
On 28 July 1919, she sank in the Bosphorus following a collision with a Romanian-flagged vessel.
The Crew Members Lost Aboard the Tug “France”
The tug’s second-class deck officer, Juhel (Jean-Baptiste-Henry), Saint-Malo No. 4118, drowned while on duty aboard the French tug “France,” which sank following a collision in the Sea of Marmara.
Her crew consisted of French seamen.
The documents state that during the collision, Captain Joseph-Ange-Marie, Binic No. 2989, also went down with the tug while in command.
The records state that the following crew members fell into the sea and drowned during the collision:
-Coruble Joseph Gustave, Second-Class Master Seaman, born at La Chapelle-sur-Dun on 19 April 1899;
-Felix Alfred, Chief Engineer, born at Champagnole on 7 June 1878, Rochefort No. 4525;
-Juhel (Jean-Baptiste-Henry), Master Seaman, Saint-Malo No. 4118;
-Grouhel Albert Anatole, seaman, born at Belz on 4 August 1896.
Source: Les Combattants & l’Histoire de la Grande Guerre, Forum Pages 14–18.
Lloyd’s Register of Shipping 1913–1914.

On the Eminönü side of Galata Bridge, barges and tugs were moored along
the waterfront as far as Yemiş, waiting to undertake cargo-handling and towing duties.

Stelio Pandermalis
Steam-Powered, Screw-Propelled, Steel-Hulled Tug “Castor”
Built in 1890 at Stettiner AG für Schiffs- und Maschinenbau in Stettin for the Kaiserliche Marine (Imperial German Navy), the tug Castor was fitted with a Stettiner AG-built two-cylinder compound locomotive-type steam engine developing 120 ihp. She had a length overall of 22.6 m, a beam of 4.7 m, a depth of 1.6 m, and a maximum speed of 6 knots.
In 1889, she was purchased by Stelio Pandermalis, based in Istanbul, and entered service in the Port of Istanbul.
In August 1914, she was requisitioned by the Ottoman Government.
She was converted for service as a minesweeper and commissioned accordingly.
She was withdrawn from service in October 1918.
Steam-Powered, Screw-Propelled, Steel-Hulled Tug “Pollux”
Registered to Stelio Pandermalis
Built in 1890 at Stettiner AG für Schiffs- und Maschinenbau in Stettin for the Kaiserliche Marine (Imperial German Navy), Pollux was fitted with a Stettiner AG-built two-cylinder compound locomotive-type steam engine developing 120 ihp. She had a length overall of 22.6 m, a beam of 4.7 m, a depth of 1.6 m, and a maximum speed of 6 knots.
In 1914, she was purchased by S. Pandermalis, based in Istanbul, and entered service in the Port of Istanbul.
In August 1914, she was requisitioned by the Ottoman Government.
She was converted for service as a minesweeper and commissioned accordingly.
She was withdrawn from service in October 1918.
Steam-Powered, Screw-Propelled, Iron-Hulled Tug “Muzaffer”
(Ex-Triumphant)
The tug was fitted with a Stettiner AG-built two-cylinder compound locomotive-type steam engine developing 120 ihp.
In 1913, she was purchased by S. Pandermalis, based in Istanbul, and entered service in the Port of Istanbul. Her name, Triumphant, was initially retained.
She was of 70 GRT and, with her single-screw steam propulsion machinery, could attain a speed of 8 knots.
In 1914, she was requisitioned by the Ottoman Government and converted into a minesweeper at the Imperial Arsenal (Tersâne-i Âmire), where she was renamed Muzaffer.
In 1915, she was employed as a pilot boat in the Bosphorus.
She was withdrawn from service in October 1918.
Source: Archives of Stettiner AG für Schiffs- und Maschinenbau.
Steam-Powered, Screw-Propelled, Iron-Hulled General Cargo Vessel “Hellesponte”
(Ex-Alaska)
Registered to Stelio Pandermalis.Although the Cherbourg-based Cie. de Remorquage et de Sauvetage was engaged in ship towing, salvage and pilotage services, one of the company’s leading figures, S. Pandermaly (Pandarmalis), purchased a general cargo/passenger vessel in 1893 and named her Hellesponte.
Originally named Alaska, the vessel was built in 1883 at Short Brothers Ltd., Sunderland, under Yard No. 139, for T. R. Thompson, based in Cardiff. She was launched on 8 April 1883. Her tonnage was 2,112 GRT and 1,381 NRT.
Her steam main engine was a two-cylinder compound engine manufactured by Carr & Co., developing 180 ihp, and she had a maximum speed of 10 knots.
In 1894, she was registered to Steamship Alaska Co. Ltd., Maclay & McIntyre, Glasgow.
In 1914, she was purchased by Cie. de Remorquage et de Sauvetage, based in Marseille/Cherbourg, together with S. Pandermaly, and was renamed Hellesponte.
On 11 September 1914, she was requisitioned on behalf of the Ottoman Government following the general mobilisation.
On 9 May 1915, she was sunk off Karadeniz Ereğli by gunfire from the Russian destroyers Derzku and Bespokoinyi.
Ralph Denham Jacob
Steam-Powered, Wooden-Hulled, Paddle Tug “Caterina”
The tug Caterina, launched on 14 July 1868 from Yard No. 39 at Readhead Softey & Co. shipyard in South Shields, entered service in August 1868.
Built for Ralph Denham Jacob & Co., a company established in Istanbul to operate in the Port of Istanbul, the tug measured 80 GRT, 22 NRT, with a length overall of 99.6 ft, a beam of 18.3 ft, and a depth of 9.6 ft. Her steam main engine developed 45 nhp.
She was registered at Newcastle on 29 August 1868.
After departing the Tyne, she reached Gibraltar on 9 August 1868, after a voyage of 7.5 days, with sufficient coal remaining for approximately two further days of steaming. Following bunkering, she continued her voyage to Istanbul.
Later that same year, she entered service in Istanbul under Ralph Denham Jacob et al.
On 26 July 1869, she was operating in towing service for R. Jacob & Co. She was subsequently sold in Istanbul to another ship-towing company.
Steam-Powered, Wooden-Hulled, Paddle Tug “Bosphorus”
Ralph Denham Jacob / William Jacob
The tug Bosphorus, launched on 5 June 1869 from Yard No. 46 at Readhead Softey & Co. shipyard in South Shields, entered service on 7 June 1869.
Built at South Shields for Ralph Denham Jacob et al. for service in the Port of Istanbul, she measured 115 GRT, 26 NRT, with a length overall of 104.5 ft, a beam of 18.7 ft, and a depth of 10.0 ft. Her steam main engine developed 50 nhp.
She was registered at South Shields on 31 July 1869.
Later that same year, she entered service in Istanbul under Ralph Denham Jacob et al.
On 9 April 1870, she was sold in Istanbul to another ship-towing company.
Steam-Powered, Wooden-Hulled, Paddle Tug “Boxer”
Ralph Denham Jacob / William Jacob
The tug Boxer, launched on 28 July 1868 at the D. T. Stewart shipyard, entered service in September 1868.
Built at North Shields for W. Jacob, the tug measured 86 GRT and 4 NRT, with a length overall of 93.8 ft, a beam of 18.7 ft, and a depth of 10.0 ft. Her steam main engine was a single-expansion engine manufactured by J. P. Almond of North Shields.
She was registered at North Shields in the name of W. Jacobs on 15 September 1868.
She departed North Shields for Istanbul on 22 July 1868 and arrived in Istanbul on 19 October 1868.
She subsequently operated in towing service in Istanbul under Ralph Denham Jacob and William Jacob.
Hamilton & Hodge
Steam-Powered, Wooden-Hulled, Paddle Tug “Shark”
(Ex-Brothers, Ex-Pigeon)
Construction of the tug Brothers began at the William Cooper shipyard in North Shields towards the end of 1852, and she entered service on 22 February 1852.
Built at North Shields for Joseph Swan, the tug measured 94 GRT and 34 NRT, with a length overall of 85.8 ft, a beam of 16.4 ft, and a depth of 9.4 ft. Her steam main engine, manufactured by William Scott of North Shields, developed 53 nhp.
She was registered at North Shields in the name of Joseph Swan on 22 February 1852.
She departed for Istanbul on 12 June 1852.
On 15 August 1854, during the Crimean War, she was purchased on behalf of the British Navy for £4,420 and renamed Pigeon.
After the military requirements of the Crimean War had ceased, she was purchased in Istanbul on 14 July 1856 by Hamilton & Hodge for £2,005 and renamed Shark.
Joseph Wetherall et al.
Steam-Powered, Wooden-Hulled, Paddle Tug “Brothers”
Construction of the tug Brothers began in 1855 at North Shields. She measured 81 GRT and 28 NRT, with a length overall of 82.0 ft, a beam of 16.8 ft, and a depth of 8.8 ft. Her steam main engine developed 35 nhp.
She was registered at North Shields in the name of George & John Heads in the same year.
The date of her transfer to Istanbul is unknown.
Records indicate that in 1857, during the Crimean War, she was engaged in towing operations in Istanbul and the Black Sea.
In 1865, she was registered to Joseph Wetherall et al.
In 1867, she was registered at Shields to Christopher & John Askew.
In 1870, she was registered at Shields to Christopher Askew.
She was scrapped in 1880.
Steam-Powered, Wooden-Hulled, Paddle Tug “Bull Dog”
Construction of the tug Bull Dog commenced on 16 April 1855 at the R. Stobbs shipyard in North Shields for J. Hall of Tynemouth.
She measured 81 GRT, 51 NRT, with a length overall of 80.5 ft, a beam of 16.7 ft, and a depth of 8.7 ft.Her single-expansion steam engine, manufactured by J. P. Almond, developed 40 nhp.
“Bull Dog” departed for Istanbul on 19 June 1855.
One month later, J. Hall of Tynemouth sold the vessel in Istanbul to the British Government.
In 1867, she was purchased from Malta by Vincenza Gollcher.
She was scrapped in Malta on 10 August 1872.
Richard Wood
Steam-Powered, Wooden-Hulled, Paddle Tug “Crescent”
Built in 1851 at the Andrew Woodhouse shipyard in South Shields, the tug Crescent measured 90 GRT and 28 NRT, with a length overall of 80.9 ft, a beam of 16.6 ft, and a depth of 9.1 ft.
Her single-expansion steam engine, manufactured by Rayne & Burn of the Ouseburn Ironworks, Newcastle, developed 40 nhp.
On 11 June 1851, she was registered at South Shields in the names of William & George Wright of South Shields and John Gibson of Newcastle.
She came to Istanbul for the requirements of the Crimean War.
On 22 March 1854, she was damaged by gunfire from a Russian vessel and subsequently repaired.
On 21 July 1854, she entered service with the British Navy.
On the same date, she was purchased for £3,000 for supply and support duties in the Crimea.On 7 July 1856, she was sold in Istanbul for £1,700 to Richard Wood, the interpreter of the British Embassy in Istanbul.
Pappa D. Calegro
Steam-Powered, Wooden-Hulled, Paddle Tug “Chesapeake”
The wooden-hulled, paddle-wheel tug Chesapeake, launched in July 1853 at the Robert & Richard Stobbs shipyard in North Shields, entered service in December 1853.
Owned by David B. Pearson of North Shields, the tug measured 57 GRT and 19 NRT, with a length overall of 72.0 ft, a beam of 14.0 ft, and a depth of 8.2 ft.
Her single-expansion steam main engine developed 25.2 nhp.
She was registered at North Shields in the name of David B. Pearson in December 1853.
In June 1856, she was sold to Joseph Gee of Hull.
In 1860, she was sold to Samuel J. Fill & Thomas Pain of Great Yarmouth and registered at Yarmouth.
In 1861, she was sold to James Swallow and registered at Hull.
Later in 1861, she was sold to John Rogerson of Newcastle and registered at Newcastle.
In 1862, she was purchased by The Tyne General Ferry Co., based in Newcastle.
In 1863, she was purchased by John Rogerson of Newcastle.
In 1864, she was purchased by Heald Mathurin & Co.
In 1865, she was purchased by Pappa D. Calegro, an Italian Levantine based in Istanbul.
She subsequently made an adventurous voyage to the Danube River, together with the tug Louise Crawshay.
Her entry in the Lloyd’s Register of Shipping was closed in 1876.

Technical drawing showing the steam engine and paddle wheels of a side-wheel tugboat.

George Oswald Jolly

The steam-powered, wooden-hulled, paddle tug “Constantine”
Built at South Shields in 1879 and entering service in the same year, the wooden-hulled, side-wheel tug “Constantine” measured 65 GRT, 2 NRT, with an overall length of 81.1 ft, a breadth of 16.7 ft, and a depth of 8.6 ft.
The tug, owned by Thomas Charles Jolly of North Shields, was fitted with a single-expansion steam main engine developing 30 NHP.
The vessel was registered at North Shields in the name of Thomas Charles Jolly, whose business was based in Liverpool.
In 1879, the tug proceeded to Izmir.
In 1888, while remaining registered at the Port of North Shields, she was registered at Izmir in the name of George Oswald Jolly.
The Life Story of Thomas Oswald Jolly
He was born in Izmir in 1854. His father was Edwin Sidney Jolly, born in Izmir in 1825, and his mother was Anne Jolly (Sargologo), born in Fiume in 1833.
George Oswald Jolly married Paulina Joly (Amat Brugada) in Izmir. He died in Izmir in 1905, at the age of 51.
Thomas Charles Jolly was born in 1826. His father was John Jolly, and his mother was Elizabeth Jolly (Pepper). Elisabeth was born in Exeter, Devon, England, in August 1796.
Thomas Charles Jolly had ten siblings. As a member of the Jolly family that had migrated to Izmir, he married Caroline Mathilda Jolly (Parker) in 1850. They had four children. Their eldest son was named Charles Thomas Jolly.
Thomas Charles Jolly died in Izmir in 1909, at the age of 83.
James Wardle
The steam-powered, wooden-hulled, paddle tug “Cosmopolitan”
Launched on 1 May 1869 at the Readhead Softley & Co. shipyard in South Shields, the wooden-hulled, side-wheel tug “Cosmopolitan” entered service in June 1869.
Built for Nicholas Gibson et al. and registered at South Shields, the tug measured 170 GRT and 70 NRT, with an overall length of 118.7 ft, a breadth of 20.1 ft, and a depth of 11.2 ft.
Her two single-expansion steam main engines, built by Readhead Softley & Co. of South Shields, developed a total of 60 NHP.
On 25 June 1869, she was registered at South Shields in the name of Nicholas Gibson et al., for the purpose of proceeding from South Shields to Istanbul.
The Shields Daily Gazette, dated Monday, 21 June 1869, carried the following report concerning the tug:
“The handsome new tug Cosmopolitan, built by Redhead and Softley, made her first trial at sea for Istanbul. Her average maximum speed was found to be 11.5 knots. The new tug will leave for Istanbul within a day or two.”
In June 1869, she departed from the Tyne for Istanbul.
After several years of service in the Port of Istanbul, she was sold to James Wardle, who subsequently operated her at Çanakkale. The date of the sale is not known.
Records indicate that in 1890 she was owned by James Wardle and operating at Çanakkale and Gallipoli.
No further information concerning her subsequent fate has been found.

The owner of the steam-powered, wooden-hulled, side-wheel tug “Danube,”
James William Whittall, was in fact a British Levantine whose commercial connections extended into numerous fields in Istanbul. He had a large family circle in Moda.
The Whittall family's roots in the Ottoman Empire began with the settlement of Charlton Whittall in Izmir.
In Izmir, ship agent and shipowner Charlton Whittall and his family were engaged in the trade of figs, raisins, tobacco, liquorice, acorns and opium. Some members of the family were also involved in mining. Among the Levantine community, Charlton Whittall was one of the most prominent figures.
The earliest known record of the Whittall name dates to 1696. According to records from Worcester, James Whittall, born in 1696, was a tobacco merchant. He married Margeret Dumbell, and they had eleven children.
Their fifth child, George Whittall, was also engaged in the cigarette and tobacco trade in Worcester. He married Mary Speed of Chester, and they had two sons. One of them was Charlton Whittall, born in Liverpool in 1764; the other was William Whittall, also born in Liverpool in 1769.
The founder of C. Whittall & Co., Charlton Whittall was an exceptionally innovative personality even during the early years of his commercial career. With very limited capital, he overcame difficulties relating to credit and financing and invested in products such as figs and raisins, as well as in agricultural lands around Izmir whose value had not yet been fully recognized.
His success was as much the result of his perseverance and determination as of his creativity. In Bornova (Bournabat), where the family settled, they attained such remarkable prestige that they were able to receive Ottoman sultans as guests at their estate.
During the Crimean War, they also acted as intermediaries in obtaining, through the British Ambassador Lord Stratford, permission from the Ottoman Sultan for the British archaeologist Charles Newton to remove the Mausoleum at Bodrum, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and transport it to the British Museum in London.
The Whittalls began their commercial activities by importing goods from Manchester. In time, they also entered the export trade, processing and exporting raisins, dried figs, acorns and other agricultural products.
They expanded these activities by using vessels they chartered themselves and by acting as their own shipping agents. They also became involved in tugboat operations.
Imports from Britain accounted for the largest share of their commercial activities. Charlton Whittall reinvested the substantial income he earned into his business, transforming it into an increasingly powerful enterprise.
He subsequently purchased two merchant vessels and entered the shipowning business. With these vessels, he carried cargo and passengers between British ports and ports in Turkey.
Charlton Whittall was the first person in Izmir known to own ships and devoted his entire life to his business and systematically recorded his commercial activities. He was consistently innovative and constantly sought new opportunities.It was for this reason that, although he was a member of the British Levant Company, he surpassed many of its much older and more established members.When his brother James Whittall joined the company as a partner in 1851, C. Whittall & Co. had already become a firmly established enterprise.
Business expanded steadily, although the company encountered certain difficulties because imported goods were sold to local buyers on an installment basis.
When Charlton Whittall died in 1867, he left behind an enormous fortune and considerable commercial power.His grandson, Sir James William Whittall, established J. W. Whittall & Co. in Istanbul in 1873. This sister company cooperated closely with C. Whittall & Co.
Sir James William Whittall was the eldest son of James Whittall. Although the two companies were entirely independent of one another, they maintained branches in both Izmir and Istanbul.They invested in a wide range of commercial activities. They established a cotton-oil factory in Mersin, while in Izmir they operated dried-fruit processing facilities from which figs and raisins were exported to Britain. As shipping agents formed the principal basis of their commercial activities, C. Whittall & Co. and J. W. Whittall & Co. Ltd. also represented regular mail-steamer companies operating scheduled services.Both companies were members of the British Chamber of Commerce established in Istanbul and Izmir, as well as the American Chamber of Commerce.

Izmir in the nineteenth century — The lighters and barges loaded at the primitive Pasaport Quay in Izmir were towed by tugboats and brought alongside steamers lying stern-to.
As can be understood from advertisements published in their capacity as shipping agents, they were merchants, bankers, ship and insurance agents, and owners, operators and sellers of various mineral deposits.

They prominently advertised themselves as Lloyd’s Agents.
With regard to their shipping activities, they acted as agents in Turkey for such shipping companies as Royal Mail Steam Packet Co., Pacific Steam Navigation Co., The MOSS Steamship Company Ltd., Khedivial Mail Line, and Japanese Steamship Lines.
They also represented in Turkey companies operating in insurance, finance, ship salvage and towing, including The Royal Exchange Assurance Corporation, The Phoenix Assurance Company Ltd., The London Salvage Association, and The Comité d’Assureurs.
C. Whittall & Co., founded by Charlton Whittall in Izmir in 1811, celebrated its centenary in 1911 and published a commemorative booklet for the occasion.
This commemorative publication, printed on thin paper in the form of a small brochure, was, according to my research, at that time known to exist in only one copy in Turkey — in my personal collection. Many years later, I donated it to the SALT Research Archives. This document can be viewed through the SALT portal.
The commemorative booklet stated:“Charlton Whittall of Smyrna/Izmir was one of the last surviving members of the Levant Company at the time of his death in 1867. He was one of those Englishmen who settled in the East and made a name for themselves through an integrity and probity that never wavered. For more than sixty years he was one of the foremost merchants in Turkey; his commercial operations extended over a wide area of the Turkish Empire, and it may confidently be said — and everyone who knew him would confirm this — that throughout his long career he was never accused of departing from his impeccable integrity.”
The expansion of the company's business and the deterioration of his health forced James Whittall to take a less active role in its management. In 1878, his three sons, who had long been associated with the firm, Richard Watson, Edward and Herbert Octavius Whittall, were admitted as partners.
James Whittall died in 1883, and the business was continued by his three surviving sons.
No further change was recorded until 1908, when Richard James, the eldest son of Richard Watson Whittall, joined the partnership.
Richard Watson Whittall had been associated with the company for more than twenty years, and his admission to the partnership made him the fourth-generation partner.
The last member of the Whittall family was Hugh McKinley Whittall. He was a resident of Moda.(Sources: Osman Öndeş, “Vapur Donatanları ve Acenteleri Tarihi,” VDA Publication, 2013; Osman Öndeş, “Modalı Whittall Ailesi,” Tarihçi Kitapevi, 2012.)

The steam-powered, wooden-hulled,  paddle tug “Danube” at Beykoz. Source: Doğan Bayın Archive.


This historcal and rare photograph, a Sebah & Joaillier document, appears to
show the paddle tug at a timber depot on the Beykoz waterfront, possibly
while taking on a supply of firewood. Source: Doğan Bayın Archive.
Ralph D. Jacobs, John Smart, William Whittall
The steam-powered, wooden-hulled, paddle tug “Danube”
Built in 1870 at the Readhead Softley & Co. shipyard in South Shields (Yard No. 66; Official Registration No. 62997), the wooden-hulled paddle tug “Danube” measured 92 GRT and 11 NRT, with an overall length of 92.5 ft, a breadth of 18.2 ft, and a depth of 9.7 ft.
Her single-expansion steam main engine, built by Readhead Softley & Co. of South Shields, developed 40 NHP.
She was launched in September 1870.
Her first owner was the London-based company Ralph D. Jacobs, of Deptford. The tug was registered at South Shields.
Ralph D. Jacobs may have been a Levantine resident of Istanbul, or alternatively a British entrepreneur who was aware that the privileges granted by the Capitulations provided extensive opportunities to operate freely in the Port of Istanbul.
In November 1870, the Danube proceeded to the Port of Istanbul, where Ralph D. Jacobs began providing towing services with the vessel.
The Danube remained registered at the Port of South Shields and sailed under the British flag.

In an Istanbul harbor without proper port facilities, where steamers were moored one over another at buoys and sailing vessels occupied the quays from end to end, barges can be seen making their way with the help of two oarsmen. In this scene, tugboats were the means of handling cargo and transporting passengers, as well as essential to their livelihood.

Of the two tugboats providing towing services in the Golden Horn, the one in the foreground is flying the Italian flag. Both tugboats in the photograph are of the “Thames Craft Tugs” class.

The technical drawing of the 1848-built tug “Scorcher” shows the characteristics of
these tugboats.

The report published in the Sunday, 25 September 1859, issue of Lloyd’s Weekly Gazette concerning the incident caused by the tug General Pelissier.

M. J. Stamiadis, Hacı Davud Farkouh
Steam-Powered, Wooden-Hulled, Paddle Tug “Olga” (Ex-Stefano)
The steam-powered, wooden-hulled, side-wheel tug was launched from the Wouldhave & Johnson shipyard at North Shields in January 1879 and entered service in March 1879.
The tug, named “Stefano”, was 111 GRT, 29 NRT, with a length overall of 103.3 ft., a beam of 18.4 ft., and a depth of 9.9 ft. (Register Number: 79216).
Her single-expansion steam engine, manufactured by W. Hepple & Co. of South Shields, developed 71 NHP. In 1879 she was registered at South Shields in the name of W. Hepple & Co.
In January 1890 she was registered at North Shields in the name of T. C. Jolly of Liverpool.
In the same year she was purchased from Istanbul by M. J. Stamiadis.
In 1897 she was purchased by Hacı Davud Farkouh, a Levantine of İzmir, and entered service at İzmir under the name “Olga”.
Records indicate that she remained in service through 1908.
There were those who purchased Tugs for the needs of the Port of Istanbul
During the middle decades of the nineteenth century, there are numerous examples of individuals and companies who commissioned tugs in Britain—particularly at shipyards on the Clyde, including Glasgow and Govan, and on the Tyne—or purchased already-built tugs for service in the Port of Istanbul.
One example I have identified is that of James Jack, a Liverpool-based marine-engine manufacturer, who purchased the side-wheel, iron-hulled steam tug “Emperor” with the intention of selling her in Istanbul.
According to the registry record, she was built in 1855 at Glasgow. The original party who placed the construction order is not recorded in the register.
The tug measured 145 GRT and 91 NRT, with a length overall of 129.8 ft., a beam of 18.6 ft., a depth of 8.9 ft., and a draught of 6.5 ft. Her two-cylinder compound steam engine, producing 80 NHP, was manufactured in Liverpool by James Jack & Co. at the Victoria Engine Works, Bootle.
Under the name “Emperor”, she was registered at the Port of Liverpool on 9 November 1855.On 10 November 1855 she underwent sea trials on the Mersey.On 3 January 1856 she was sold by auction in Liverpool.
She departed Liverpool for Istanbul with the intention of being sold there. On 20 February 1856, however, after she began taking on water in the vicinity of the Isles of Scilly, off the Cornish Peninsula in southern England, an attempt was made to reach Cádiz.
As she became disabled following an engine failure, she drifted and eventually struck the La Galita rocks.
James Jack authorised William Hadfield to sell the tug within a period of twelve months, either in Istanbul or at any port in the Black Sea.As the tug could not be repaired, she was abandoned on 28 March 1856.
Steam-Powered, Wooden-Hulled, Paddle Tug “Pauline”
The steam-powered, wooden-hulled, side-wheel tug “Pauline”, launched from the Readhead Softley & Co. shipyard at South Shields on 18 April 1868, entered service at the end of June 1868.The tug, named “Pauline”, measured 94 GRT and 18 NRT, with a length overall of 96.3 ft., a beam of 18.2 ft., and a depth of 9.0 ft.
Her single-expansion steam engine, manufactured by Readhead Softley & Co. of South Shields, developed 50 NHP.As was the case with all tugs operating in Istanbul, her hull was sheathed with copper up to a draught of 6 ft.(Source: Tyne Built Tugs – Sheathed in Copper – Yellow metal to 6 ft draft like other tugs for Constantinople.)
She was registered at Newcastle in the name of Robert Rowell on 4 June 1868.
On 12 June 1868 she departed Shields for Istanbul.
She arrived in Istanbul on 27 July 1868.
She was sold in Istanbul on 18 November 1870.
No information has yet been found concerning her final owner in the Port of Istanbul or the period during which she operated there.

Steam-Powered, Iron-Hulled, Paddle Tug “Pelissier” (Ex-Iron Duke)
The steam-powered, iron-hulled, side-wheel tug was launched from the T. D. Marshall shipyard at South Shields on 1 September 1855 and entered service in the same year.
Named “Iron Duke”, she measured 118 GRT and 164 NRT, with a length overall of 102.0 ft., a beam of 18.5 ft., and a depth of 10.0 ft.Her single-expansion steam engine, manufactured by T. D. Marshall of South Shields, developed 60 NHP.
Her first owners were Messrs. Gibson et al. of Shields.
She departed for Istanbul in October 1855.Her owner in Istanbul is not known.
Spiridion Gopcevich
Steam-Powered, Iron-Hulled, Paddle Tug “Zara” (Ex-Principe Stirbey)
The steam-powered, iron-hulled, side-wheel tug was launched from the Jonathan Robson shipyard at Gateshead, South Shore, on 12 June 1850 and entered service in August 1850.
Named “Principe Stirbey”, she measured 124 GRT and 50 NRT, with a length overall of 106.5 ft., a beam of 18.3 ft., and a depth of 9.3 ft.
Her single-expansion steam engine, manufactured by Jonathan Robson at South Shore, Gateshead, developed 57 NHP.
Her first owner was Spiridion Gopcevich of Galatz. “Principe Stirbey” was registered in his name in August 1850.
In Istanbul, in June 1854, she was renamed “Zara”.
She changed hands in Istanbul in 1856. Her owner is not known.
Caragosocevich Barre
Steam-Powered, Iron-Hulled, Paddle Tug “Chioggia” (Ex-Principe Karagergevich)
The steam-powered, iron-hulled, side-wheel tug was launched from the Jonathan Robson shipyard at South Shore, Gateshead, on 13 July 1850 and entered service in August 1850.
Named “Principe Karagergevich”, she measured 126 GRT and 57 NRT, with a length overall of 107.2 ft., a beam of 18.3 ft., and a depth of 9.2 ft.
Her single-expansion steam engine, manufactured by Jonathan Robson of South Shore, Gateshead, developed 57 NHP. Her maximum speed was 10 knots.
The main steam engine had a horizontal cylinder, with a cylinder bore of 41 inches and a stroke of 4 ft. 3 in.
She was a side-wheel tug; the paddle wheels had a diameter of 14 ft. 8 in. Her draught was 2 ft. 3 in. forward and 2 ft. aft.
Her first owner was Spiridion Gopcevich of Galatz. “Principe Karagergevich” was registered in his name in August 1850. Her intended purpose was to tow vessels on the Danube.
On 23 August 1850 she departed for Galatz to undertake towing operations on the Danube.
In June 1854 she was purchased by Austrian Lloyd at Trieste and renamed “Chioggia”.
In 1856 she was purchased in Istanbul by Caragosocevich Barre and renamed “Principe Caragosocevich Barre”.
Steam-Powered, Wooden-Hulled, PaddleTug “Robert Ingham”
The tug “Robert Ingham”, launched from the Andrew Woodhouse shipyard at South Shields in March 1855, entered service in May 1855.
The tug, owned by Jopling & Walker of South Shields, measured 112 GRT and 34 NRT, with a length overall of 88.0 ft., a beam of 18.1 ft., and a depth of 9 ft.
Her main steam engine, manufactured by William Scott, developed 50 NHP.
On 30 May 1855 she was registered at South Shields in the name of the South Shields Pilots.
In August 1855 she was purchased at South Shields by Jopling & Walker.
The North & South Shields Gazette dated Thursday, 9 August 1855, carried the following report:“The tug ‘Robert Ingham’, belonging to the South Shields Pilots, is to sail for Constantinople. The steam tug Robert Ingham has been purchased by Jobling, Walker & Co. for operation in Istanbul. The tug is presently undergoing a major overhaul at Mr. Bushell’s shipyard, and after the completion of her copper sheathing she will depart for Istanbul.”
On 22 August 1855 she departed the Tyne for Istanbul.
On 26 August 1855 she took on coal at Falmouth.
She departed Falmouth on 29 August 1855.
She arrived at Gibraltar on 3 September 1855.
On 17 September 1855 she departed Malta for Istanbul.
No further information has been found concerning the tug’s subsequent operations in Istanbul.

The cargo-passenger steamer “Belevi” lying at anchor at a mooring buoy off Sarayburnu, with a lighter secured alongside her and a tugboat waiting at the mooring buoy. Photograph: Sebah & Joallier, 1885.

Le Progress. Source: Tyne Built Tugs.
Bay Ogdevin et al.
Steam-powered, iron-hulled, screw tug “Le Progress No. 119” – (Ex-Le Progress)
The steam-powered, iron-hulled, screw-propelled tug was built at the Sir W. G. Armstrong, Mitchell & Co. Ltd. shipyard at Low Walker and was completed on 30 April 1892. She entered service in May 1892.
-The tug, named “Le Progress”, measured 449 grt, 205 nrt, with an overall length of 164.0 ft., a beam of 27.0 ft., and a depth of 13.5 ft.
-Her two-cylinder compound steam engine, built by Wallsend Slipway & Engineering Co. Ltd., Wallsend, developed 70 nhp.
-She was purchased by Cie Universalle du Canal Maritime de Suez, based at Port Said.
-In 1923, her name was changed to “Le Progress No. 119.”
-In 1933, she was purchased by Anglo-Persian Shipping & Trading Co. Ltd., which restored her name to “Le Progress.”
-In 1935, she was purchased by Tank Coasters Ltd., of the Island of Malta.
-In 1937, she was purchased by Bay Ogdevin et al., of Istanbul.
-On 21 October 1942, she was torpedoed by the Russian submarine M-35 and sank off Sulina in the Black Sea.
Francisco Grimo, Emmanuell Pelegrini, İdare-i Mahsusa
Steam-powered, wooden-hulled, paddle tug “Biga” – “Bigah” – (Ex-Malta)
The steam-powered, wooden-hulled, paddle-wheel tug was launched on 18 July 1870 at the Readhead Softley & Co. shipyard at South Shields and entered service in September 1870.
The tug, named “Malta,” measured 112 grt, 31 nrt, with an overall length of 102.8 ft., a beam of 18.9 ft., and a depth of 10.1 ft.
-Her single-expansion steam engine, built by Readhead Softley & Co., South Shields, developed 73 nhp.
-On 3 September 1870, she was registered in the name of William George and transferred to George & Co., a firm established in Istanbul.
-She departed the Tyne for Istanbul.
-On 20 September 1870, she departed Gibraltar for the Island of Malta.
-She arrived in Istanbul on 7 October 1870.
-Until 1875, she operated in Istanbul under Emmanuell Pelegrini.
-In 1892, she was purchased by Francisco Grimo, of Istanbul.
-In 1898, her British registry was cancelled.
-In 1901, she was transferred to İdare-i Mahsusa and renamed “Biga.”
-Her registration was still recorded in Lloyd’s Register in 1908.
Vincent S. E. Grech, James Wardle
Steam-powered, wooden-hulled, paddle tug “Mary Louise”
The steam-powered, wooden-hulled, paddle-wheel tug was built at the J. P. Rennoldson & Sons shipyard at South Shields and was completed on 3 July 1870. She entered service at the end of July.
The tug, named “Mary Louise,” measured 100 grt, 10 nrt, with an overall length of 98.6 ft., a beam of 19.1 ft., and a depth of 9.8 ft.
-Her two-cylinder compound steam engine, built by J. P. Rennoldson & Sons, South Shields, developed 50 nhp.
-On 3 September 1870, she was registered in the name of William George and transferred to George & Co., based in Istanbul.
-In July 1879, she was purchased by James Wardle, based at Çanakkale, and registered at South Shields.
-In 1901, she was purchased by Vincent S. E. Grech, based in London and Çanakkale.
-She entered service in connection with Çanakkale and Gallipoli.
-On 3 November 1914, following the outbreak of the First World War, she was requisitioned by the Ottoman government at Gallipoli and placed at the disposal of the Ottoman Navy.
-In 1915, she was taken out of service at Gallipoli and sank at her berth.
Steam-powered, iron-hulled, paddle tug “Napoleon”
The steam-powered, iron-hulled, paddle-wheel tug was launched on 9 May 1855 by Palmer Brothers at Jarrow and entered service in the same year.
The tug, named “Napoleon,” measured 115 grt, 48 nrt, with an overall length of 104.0 ft., a beam of 18.0 ft., and a depth of 9.0 ft.
-Her first owner, William Portesu, sold the tug to John Swan while she was still under construction.
-She was registered at Shields in the name of John Swan, from Jarrow.
-John Swan brought the “Napoleon” to Istanbul.
-After operating in the Istanbul harbour area for two years, she was sold. The identity of the purchaser is unknown.
M. J. Stamiadis, Hacı Davud Farkouh
Steam-powered, wooden-hulled, paddle tug “Olga” – (Ex-Stefano)
The steam-powered, wooden-hulled, paddle-wheel tug was launched in January 1879 at the Wouldhave & Johnson shipyard at North Shields and entered service in March 1879.
The tug, named “Stefano,” measured 111 grt, 29 nrt, with an overall length of 103.3 ft., a beam of 18.4 ft., and a depth of 9.9 ft. (Register Number: 79216).
-Her single-expansion steam engine, built by W. Hepple & Co., South Shields, developed 71 nhp.
-In 1879, she was registered at South Shields in the name of W. Hepple & Co.
-In January 1890, she was registered at North Shields in the name of T. C. Jolly, based in Liverpool.
-In the same year, she was purchased by M. J. Stamiadis, of Istanbul.
-In 1897, she was purchased by Hacı Davud Farkouh, a Levantine merchant from İzmir, and entered service at İzmir under the name “Olga.”
-Records indicate that she remained in service through 1908.
There Were Purchasers Who Acquired Tugs for the Needs of the Port of Istanbul
During the middle decades of the nineteenth century, there were individuals and companies who commissioned tugs in Britain—particularly at shipyards on the Clyde (Glasgow and Govan) and the Tyne (upon-Tyne)—or purchased already-built tugs for service in the Port of Istanbul.
One example I have identified is the Liverpool machinery manufacturer James Jack, who purchased the paddle-wheel, iron-hulled steam tug “Emperor” with the intention of selling her in Istanbul.
-According to the registry record, she was built in 1855 at Glasgow. The original party who placed the construction order is not recorded in the register.
-She measured 145 grt, 91 nrt, with an overall length of 129.8 ft., a beam of 18.6 ft., a depth of 8.9 ft., and a draught of 6.5 ft.
-Her compound steam engine, developing 80 nhp, was built by James Jack & Co., Victoria Engine Works, Bootle, Liverpool.
-She was registered at the Port of Liverpool under the name “Emperor” on 9 November 1855.
-On 10 November 1855, she underwent sea trials on the Mersey.
-On 3 January 1856, she was sold by auction at Liverpool.
-She departed Liverpool for Istanbul with the intention of being sold there. On 20 February 1856, after beginning to take on water in the vicinity of the Isles of Scilly, off the Cornish Peninsula in southern England, an attempt was made to reach Cádiz.
-However, after suffering engine failure, she became disabled and drifted onto the La Galita rocks.
-James Jack authorized William Hadfield to sell the tug within twelve months, either in Istanbul or at any port in the Black Sea.
-As the tug could not be repaired, she was abandoned on 28 March 1856.
Steam-powered, wooden-hulled, paddle tug “Pauline”
The steam-powered, wooden-hulled, paddle-wheel tug was launched on 18 April 1868 at the Readhead Softley & Co. shipyard at South Shields and entered service at the end of June 1868.
The tug, named “Pauline,” measured 94 grt, 18 nrt, with an overall length of 96.3 ft., a beam of 18.2 ft., and a depth of 9.0 ft.
-Her single-expansion steam engine, built by Readhead Softley & Co., South Shields, developed 50 nhp.
-Like all tugs operating in Istanbul, she was fitted with copper sheathing up to a draught of 6 ft.(Source: Tyne Built Tugs – “Sheathed in Copper – Yellow metal to 6 ft draft like other tugs for Constantinople.”)
-She was registered at Newcastle in the name of Robert Rowell on 4 June 1868.
-She departed Shields for Istanbul on 12 June 1868.
-She arrived in Istanbul on 27 July 1868.
-She was sold in Istanbul on 18 November 1870.
-No information has yet been found concerning her final owner in the Port of Istanbul or the period during which she remained in service there.
Steam-powered, iron-hulled, paddle tug “Pelissier” – (Ex-Iron Duke)
The steam-powered, iron-hulled, paddle-wheel tug was launched on 1 September 1855 at the T. D. Marshall shipyard at South Shields and entered service in the same year.
The tug, named “Iron Duke,” measured 118 grt, 164 nrt, with an overall length of 102.0 ft., a beam of 18.5 ft., and a depth of 10.0 ft.
-Her single-expansion steam engine, built by T. D. Marshall, South Shields, developed 60 nhp.
-Her first owners were Messrs Gibson et al., of Shields.
-She departed for Istanbul in October 1855.
-Her owner in Istanbul is unknown.
Spiridion Gopcevich
Steam-powered, iron-hulled, paddle-wheel tug “Zara” – (Ex-Principe Stirbey)
The steam-powered, iron-hulled, paddle-wheel tug was launched on 12 June 1850 at the shipyard of Jonathan Robson, Gateshead, South Shore, and entered service in August 1850.
The tug, named “Principe Stirbey,” measured 124 grt, 50 nrt, with an overall length of 106.5 ft., a beam of 18.3 ft., and a depth of 9.3 ft.
-Her single-expansion steam engine, built by Jonathan Robson, South Shore, Gateshead, developed 57 nhp.
-Her first owner was Spiridion Gopcevich, of Galatz.
-The “Principe Stirbey” was registered in Spiridion Gopcevich’s name in August 1850.
-She was renamed “Zara” in Istanbul in June 1854.
-She changed hands in Istanbul in 1856. Her owner is unknown.

Caragosocevich Barre
Steam-powered, iron-hulled, paddle-wheel tug “Chioggia” – (Ex-Principe Karagergevich)
The steam-powered, iron-hulled, paddle-wheel tug was launched on 13 July 1850 at the shipyard of Jonathan Robson, South Shore, Gateshead, and entered service in August 1850.
The tug, named “Principe Karagergevich,” measured 126 grt, 57 nrt, with an overall length of 107.2 ft., a beam of 18.3 ft., and a depth of 9.2 ft.
-Her single-expansion steam engine, built by Jonathan Robson, South Shore, Gateshead, developed 57 nhp.
-Her maximum service speed was 10 knots.
-The main steam engine was of the horizontal, round-cylinder type; the cylinder measured 41 inches × 4 ft. 3 in.
-She was a paddle-wheel tug. The paddle wheels had a diameter of 14 ft. 8 in. Her draught was 2 ft. 3 in. forward and 2 ft. aft.
-Her first owner was Spiridion Gopcevich, of Galatz. The “Principe Karagergevich” was registered in Spiridion Gopcevich’s name in August 1850.
-Her intended purpose was to tow vessels on the Danube River.
-On 23 August 1850, she departed for Galatz to undertake vessel-towing operations on the Danube.
-In June 1854, she was purchased by Austrian Lloyd at Trieste and renamed “Chioggia.”
-In 1856, she was purchased in Istanbul by Caragosocevich Barre and renamed “Principe Caragosocevich Barre.”

News at 24 August 1850, Saturday dated Newcastle Journal.

The Steam-Powered, Wooden-Hulled, Paddle Tug “Robert Ingham”
The tug “Robert Ingham”, launched in March 1855 at the Andrew Woodhouse shipyard in South Shields, entered service in May 1855.
-The tug, owned by Jopling & Walker of South Shields, measured 112 GRT and 34 NRT. Her dimensions were: length overall 88.0 ft., beam 18.1 ft., depth 9 ft.
-Her steam main engine, manufactured by William Scott, developed 50 NHP.
-On 30 May 1855, she was registered at South Shields in the name of the South Shields Pilots.
-In August 1855, she was purchased at South Shields by Jopling & Walker.
The North & South Shields Gazette dated Thursday, 9 August 1855, carried the following report:
“The tug ‘Robert Ingham’, belonging to the South Shields Pilots, is to proceed to Constantinople. The steam tug Robert Ingham has been purchased by Jobling, Walker & Co. for employment at Constantinople. The tug is at present undergoing an extensive overhaul at Mr. Bushell’s yard and, after the completion of her copper sheathing, will proceed to Constantinople.”
-On 22 August 1855, she departed the Tyne for Constantinople.
-On 26 August 1855, she bunkered at Falmouth.
-On 29 August 1855, she departed Falmouth.
-On 3 September 1855, she arrived at Gibraltar.
-On 17 September 1855, she departed Malta for Constantinople.
-No further information has been found concerning this tug’s subsequent operations in Istanbul.

The Steam-Powered, Wooden-Hulled, Paddle Tug “Stefano”
John Marshall Smart
The tug “Sarah Smart”, launched on 25 March 1872 from the shipyard of J. P. Rennoldson at South Shields, entered service in May 1872.
-The tug, owned by Jopling & Walker of South Shields, measured 112 GRT and 34 NRT. Her dimensions were: length overall 88.0 ft., beam 18.1 ft., depth 9 ft.
-Her single-expansion steam main engine, manufactured by J. P. Rennoldson of South Shields, developed 80 NHP.
-On 4 June 1872, she was registered at North Shields in the name of John Marshall Smart.
-On 27 June 1872, she arrived at Malta en route to Istanbul.
-On 3 July 1872, she arrived in Istanbul.
-On 10 April 1879, her registration at North Shields was closed.
Sotirios Hazzopoulo
The Steam-Powered, Wooden-Hulled, Paddle Tug “Ceylan” – (Ex “Socrates”)

The tug “Socrates”, launched on 20 March 1870 from the shipyard of Thomas Hepple & Co. at Low Walker, entered service in April 1871.
-The tug, owned by Jopling & Walker of South Shields, measured 115 GRT and 37 NRT. Her dimensions were: length overall 101.3 ft., beam 18.9 ft., depth 10.1 ft.
-Her single-expansion steam main engine, manufactured by Thomas Hepple & Co. of Low Walker, developed 46 NHP.
-She was registered at North Shields in the name of Henry I. Brightman.
-On 14 May 1871, she arrived in Istanbul.
-In 1872, she was sold to Sotirios Hazzopoulos and registered in the Manchester ship register.
-In 1874, she was purchased on behalf of the Ottoman State’s İdare-i Mahsusa.
-In 1905, she was given the name “Ceylan” within the İdare-i Mahsusa fleet.
-In 1909, she was broken up in Malta.
The tug “Stefano” (Register Number: 65430), launched in March 1872 from the shipyard of David J. Stewart at North Shields, entered service in May 1872.
-The tug, owned by William Hepple of South Shields, measured 111 GRT and 15 NRT. Her dimensions were: length overall 96.7 ft., beam 18.9 ft., depth 9.8 ft.
-Her single-expansion steam main engine, manufactured by W. Hepple & Co. of North Shields, developed 40 NHP.
-On 24 May 1872, she was registered at North Shields in the name of William Hepple. On the same day, Pandi Antonio Ralli, a member of the Ralli family of Chios, purchased the tug in London for operation in the Port of Istanbul.
-The “Stefano” proceeded from Gibraltar and Malta to Istanbul and entered service there in the same year.

 -On 1898, her registration at North Shields was closed.
The Story of the Ralli Family
The Ralli family, whose roots lay on the island of Chios, became known for establishing an extensive commercial network whose activities extended to Britain and the United States. Members of the family included Zannia Ralli (1785–1859), Augustus (1792–1878), Pandia Zeus (1793–1865), Toumazis (1799–1858), and Eustratios (1800–1884).
The earliest known member of the family, Stephanos Ralli (1827), migrated from Chios to Marseille and became a highly successful merchant. The family’s principal areas of trade were the export of textiles from Manchester and the purchase and sale of grain from Odessa and Istanbul. Members of the family were also active in St. Petersburg, Taganrog, Tabriz, Izmir and Aleppo. It is recorded that they earned substantial profits from the wheat trade during the Crimean War.

The Salvage/Standby Tug owned by Foscolo Mango, Bearing a Swastika/Maltese Cross Funnel Mark
The presence of a cross emblem known as a Swastika/Maltese Cross on the funnels of certain tugs engaged in towing operations in the Port of Istanbul during the nineteenth century is intriguing.
The salvage/standby tug owned by Foscolo Mango, whose funnel bore a Swastika emblem, was associated with the London-based British company Ocean Salvage Co. Ltd., which provided ship-salvage services in Istanbul, the Dardanelles and Izmir, including the Black Sea, during the years 1920–1926. The company’s salvage vessels included “Caesar II”, “Belos”, “Cleopatra III”, “La Valette”, “Semper Paratus” and “La Nina”.
 

The salvage tug “Belos”, bearing a Swastika emblem on her funnel, while towing the steamer “Reşit Paşa”.Photograph: Bengt Westins collection.

“Belos” was a Swedish-flagged salvage vessel. The album records contain an explanation concerning this matter, from which it can be understood that “Belos” had been chartered. The fact that the funnel mark of the salvage tug towing the steamer “Reşit Paşa” was in the form of a “Swastika” made it necessary to investigate which company the tug belonged to.
The appearance of a Swastika on a ship’s funnel or company house flag is a rather rare occurrence. During my research, I corresponded with David Waller, a world-renowned researcher of historic tugs, and requested information from him. David stated that he would refer the matter to another highly respected specialist researcher, David Asprey.
David Waller noted that the appearance of a Swastika on the funnel of a tug was particularly interesting. Our investigation into the “Swastika” or “Gammadion” symbol revealed some very interesting information.
The Swastika is perhaps one of the most hated symbols in the world today. Although the Nazi “Swastika” immediately comes to mind, the symbol originally had a very different meaning. The word swastika is of Sanskrit origin and is derived from su (“good”), asti (“to be”) and the suffix -ka. It conveys meanings associated with well-being, happiness and good health.
The four arms of the Swastika have been interpreted as representing the four cosmic elements or forces: fire, water, air and earth. A Swastika with its arms turning clockwise has traditionally been associated with prosperity, good fortune and light, whereas the reverse form has sometimes been associated with night and misfortune.
Swastika motifs have also been found on stone tablets and certain household objects dating from the Neolithic and Chalcolithic periods discovered during excavations at Çatalhöyük near Konya.
The symbol is described as follows:
“Although its origins and precise development are not fully understood, the Swastika is found in almost every civilization, culture and belief system. It is a sacred symbol in Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. Even today, Hindus regard the symbol as auspicious. It is commonly found on Buddha statues and is also used to decorate objects belonging to Indian culture.”
The Mumbai/Bombay-based Scindia Steam Navigation Co. Ltd. used a Swastika as its company emblem and funnel mark. It appeared as a white Swastika enclosed within a white circle on a blue background.
The symbol was also used in Islamic art, particularly in carpet and kilim motifs and decorative designs during the Seljuk and Ottoman periods. Swastika motifs can be found in the Jameh Mosque of Yazd in Iran and in the Taynal Mosque in Tripoli, Lebanon. A Swastika can also be seen on either side of the main entrance of the mausoleum of Ahmed Yasawi (1093–1156) in Turkistan, Kazakhstan.
Particularly during the Seljuk and Ottoman periods, the symbol appeared in carpet and kilim designs, decorative art and calligraphy. It was employed as a decorative pattern and motif in Islamic art. Thirty or forty years before its adoption by the Nazis, the Swastika was widely used throughout the world as a symbol of good fortune. Following the discovery of gold in 1911, a settlement in Ontario was even named Swastika.
There were also other tug companies that used the Maltese Cross as their funnel mark.
The Maltese Cross was widely used as a funnel emblem. Among the companies engaged in tugboat operations and salvage services were groups such as the Grech group, whose funnel marks featured the Maltese Cross.
One such operator was Loucas K. Matsas, who was born on the island of Amorgos. Founded as a family company in 1880, Matsas’s towing business was based on Botsari Street in Piraeus. For many years, the company provided towing services primarily by taking sailing vessels out to sea with its wooden-hulled tug “Aghios Georgios”. The company also towed barges from Pachi to Piraeus.
The names “Aghios Nicolaos” and “Aghios Dimitrios”, used for tugs owned by Matsas, were those of two sacred churches. The funnel marks of the tugs were in the form of the Maltese Cross.
Because official archival sources relating to ship towing and salvage operations in Turkey are insufficient, it becomes necessary to consult foreign sources when researching a salvage tug such as “Belos”, which operated in the Straits.
David Waller, an authority on this subject, referred the matter to another leading specialist researcher, David Asprey. David Asprey provided the following explanation:
“In order to eliminate competition among the salvage companies operating in the Baltic Sea, in 1889 the Neptun Salvage Company acquired three small salvage vessels from the Nordischer Bergungs-Verein, thereby securing the right to conduct salvage operations along the Russian coast of the Baltic Sea. These vessels had previously belonged to Peter Bergs Bergnings Enterprise in Leningrad. The Germans, however, were to place the vessels into service under the Russian flag.
Neptun used Sandhamn as its principal operating base. In addition, cooperation was established for salvage operations in the Mediterranean and surrounding seas, and an agreement was reached to establish an association known as the ‘International Salvage Team’. The German company was to send three of its vessels to the Mediterranean, while Switzers and Neptune would each send a salvage and towing tug.
Under the agreement, they began operations in ports and coastal areas extending from Gibraltar to the Bosphorus. The agreement was subsequently terminated, but was approved again a short time later and was nevertheless implemented to some extent.
At the special request of British insurance companies, before the aforementioned agreement had been concluded, the Neptune Company sent the salvage vessel ‘Belos’ to the Black Sea to assist in the salvage of the British steamer ‘Easington’, which had gone ashore there. This was the company’s first salvage operation outside the Baltic Sea.”

 
The Official Swedish Registration of “Belos”
“Belos” was built in 1885 at Lindholmens Mek. Verkstad in Gothenburg (NB 319) for Recovery & Dykeri AB Neptun, based in Stockholm.Her dimensions were: length overall 44.73 m, beam 9.95 m, depth 4.10 m. She was fitted with a Motala-built compound steam engine developing 640 IHP.
-In 1920, she underwent a major overhaul and modernization.
-In 1940, she was purchased by the Swedish State.
-The Swedish Ministry of Maritime Commerce completely rebuilt and modernized her for use as a depot/support vessel for the Swedish submarine fleet.
-In 1969–70, she was scrapped, while her main engine was acquired by Motala MV for exhibition at the Motala Museum. Sources: Tugboat Lars, DigitaltMuseum (dated 1906), and Stig Stigfinnare.However, upon very careful examination, differences can be observed between the Belos bearing the “Swastika” emblem on its funnel and the photographs of Belos reproduced by David Asprey from Swedish sources. Indeed, the absence of the Swastika emblem on the funnel leaves the question on this matter unanswered once again.
My research has established the following fact: in the Lloyd’s Book of House Flags & Funnels catalogues, the only company bearing a Swastika emblem was that of the Levantine Foscolo Mango, who lived in Istanbul during the final century of the Ottoman Empire. Thus, the salvage and towing tug Belos shown in the photograph, which I have established as belonging to Foscolo Mango, bears a striking resemblance to the vessel in question. This finding has revealed the existence of another salvage tug similar to Belos and established that this tug belonged to Foscolo Mango. However, it has not been possible to determine the name of the tug.
Steam, Wooden-Hulled, Paddle Tug “Sultan”
The wooden-hulled, side-wheel tug Sultan, launched on 31 January 1855 from the James Dowley shipyard at North Shields, entered service in April 1855.
-The tug, named Sultan, measured 98 GRT and 62 NRT. Her dimensions were: length overall 98.4 ft., beam 18.0 ft., depth 10.1 ft.
-Her single-expansion steam engine, manufactured by W. Scotts of North Shields, developed 50 NHP.
-The tug was owned by Nicholas Strong & Co. of Glasgow and was sold at North Shields to John Swan, a Levantine of Istanbul.
-On 4 April 1855, she was registered at Shields in the name of John Swan.
-On 18 April 1855, she departed the Tyne for Istanbul.
-After providing towing services in the Port of Istanbul until 1857, she was sold. The identity of the purchaser has not been established.
H. Ridley, Swan Brothers
Steam, Wooden-Hulled, Paddle  Tug “Sultana”
The wooden-hulled, side-wheel tug Sultana, launched in July 1855 from the R. & R. Stobbs shipyard at North Shields, entered service in September 1855.
-The tug, named Sultana, measured 116 GRT and 41 NRT. Her dimensions were: length overall 93.0 ft., beam 16.8 ft., depth 9.6 ft.
-Her single-expansion steam engine, built by John Swan of North Shields, developed 50 NHP.
-On 31 August 1855, she was registered at Shields in the name of John Swan of North Shields.
-On 6 September 1855, she departed the Tyne for Istanbul.
-Following a transaction concluded in Pera on 22 September 1856, she was purchased in Istanbul by H. Ridley for £2,700 sterling.

Dr. Glascote
Steam, Iron-Hulled, Paddle Tug “Circassian” (ex-Swan)
The tug Swan, launched in 1852 from the Thomas Marshall shipyard at South Shields, entered service in the same year.
-The tug, named Swan, measured 118 GRT and 24 NRT. Her dimensions were: length overall 115.9 ft., beam 19.0 ft., depth 11.3 ft.
-Her single-expansion steam engine developed 90 NHP.
-A report concerning the tug Circassian appeared in The Hull Packet and East Riding Times dated Friday, 10 November 1854. The vessel was referred to as “Circassia” in the report.
-Although John Swan used Shields for the registration of his tugs, he was in fact a tug operator based in Istanbul.
-The tug was registered at Shields on 20 May 1852.
-On 22 May 1852, she departed the Tyne for Istanbul.
-On 22 August 1854, owing to the Crimean War, she was purchased on behalf of the British Navy for £4,800 sterling and renamed Circassian.
-On 27 July 1856, she was purchased in Istanbul by Dr. Glascote.
The Shields Daily Gazette, in its Wednesday, 29 April 1868 issue, reported that the tug Twist had departed for Istanbul after her hull had been coppered and the necessary repairs completed.

William Wright
Steam, Wooden-Hulled, Paddle  Tug “Twist”
The tug Twist, launched on 23 March 1868 from the Readhead Softley & Co. shipyard at South Shields, entered service in April 1868.
-The tug, named Twist, measured 89 GRT and 22 NRT. Her dimensions were: length overall 94.3 ft., beam 17.8 ft., depth 9.3 ft.
-Her single-expansion steam engine, built by Readhead Softley & Co. of South Shields, developed 40 NHP.
-Her owner was William Wright of South Shields.
-Twist departed the Tyne for Istanbul.
-No further information concerning the tug has been found.

Vincent S. E. Grech
Steam, Wooden-Hulled, Paddle Tug “Victoria”
The tug Victoria, launched on 11 June 1886 from the J. R. Rennoldson & Sons shipyard at South Shields on Slipway No. 102, entered service later that year after completion of the outstanding work.
-The tug, named Victoria, measured 141 GRT and 34 NRT. Her dimensions were: length overall 115.6 ft., beam 19.4 ft., depth 10.8 ft.
-Her single-expansion steam engine, manufactured by J. P. Rennoldson & Sons of South Shields, developed 65 HP.
-She was purchased by Vincent S. E. Grech of Çanakkale and registered in London.
-In 1889, she was sold to Charles H. Hamilton, general manager of C. Svorono & Sons, a company based in Kerch, Russia, which had requested the tug for service at Kerch.

Albert A. Hill
Steam, Wooden-Hulled, Screw Tug “Thistle”
The tug Thistle, launched on 9 August 1888 from the J. & P. C. Winlo shipyard at South Shields, entered service later that year after completion of the outstanding work.
-The tug, named Thistle, measured 19 GRT and 0 NRT. Her dimensions were: length overall 52.0 ft., beam 12.8 ft., depth 6.8 ft.
-Her two-expansion steam engine, manufactured by Hepple & Co. of North Shields, developed 28 HP.
-She had two cabins, one forward and the other aft.
-On 25 August 1888, she was registered at Cardiff in the name of Glamorgan Coal Co. Ltd., a Cardiff-based company.
-Glamorgan Coal Co. operated in Istanbul and Odessa.
-On 10 September 1888, she departed Penarth for Istanbul under the command of Captain Donaldson. According to Captain Donaldson, coal would be taken on at Gibraltar and Malta before proceeding to Istanbul.
-After five years of service in Istanbul, she was sold on 27 July 1893 to the Istanbul-based Levantine Albert A. Hill.

 Painting of the tug “Alfred”, signed by the artist John Scott and dated 1856. A Turkish flag can be seen on the foremast, while an “Alfred” pennant is displayed on the mizzenmast aft. The painting depicts the tug departing for Istanbul. Source: Lein Art Gallery.
A version of the painting of the tug “Alfred”, signed by the artist John Scott and dated 1856. A Turkish flag is displayed on the foremast, while the name “Alfred” can be seen on the front of the paddle-wheel casing amidships. The painting depicts the tug at Istanbul, with the Ahırkapı Lighthouse in the background. Source: Gallery.

William Wright
Steam, Side-Wheel, Iron-Hulled Tug “Alfred”
The steam-powered, side-wheel, iron-hulled tug built at the Palmer Bros. & Co. shipyard at Jarrow on 21 June 1856, under Slipway No. 51, was named Alfred.
-Entering service at the end of 1856, Alfred measured 123 GRT and 33 NRT. Her dimensions were: length overall 110.9 ft., beam 18.4 ft., depth 9.2 ft.
-Her compound steam engine, manufactured by J. P. Rennoldson of South Shields, developed 70 NHP.
-Her first owner, William Wright of South Shields, registered Alfred at South Shields on 30 August 1856.
-On 2 September 1856, she departed the Tyne for Istanbul.
-After serving in Istanbul until 1858, she was sold in October 1858 to another company engaged in towing operations in Istanbul.
The Shields Daily Gazette, in its Thursday, 23 August 1888 issue, provided technical information about Thistle under the heading “Bound for Constantinople”. It reported that the tug would depart from the Tyne for Istanbul on Saturday under the command of Captain Donaldson. The report also stated that the tug could carry up to 10 tons of coal and that, weather permitting, the voyage to Istanbul was expected to take 20 days.
The North & South Shields Gazette, in its Monday, 23 June 1856 issue, reported that the iron-hulled steam tug Alfred, owned by Mr. W. Wright, had been launched the previous Saturday at the West Docks of South Shields, at the shipyard of Messrs. Palmer Brothers & Co. The report stated that Mrs. George Palmer acted as the vessel’s sponsor at the launching ceremony, after which the “very handsome” tug Alfred was towed to the premises of Mr. J. P. Rennoldson, where her steam engine was to be installed.

 
The tug “Bordeaux” towing in the Golden Horn. Year: 1909.

Alexandra Towing Co. Ltd.; Compagnie de Remorquage et de Sauvetage Marseille & Constantinople; SA Ottomane de Dock et Ateliers du Haut-Bosphore
“Bordeaux” (ex-Alexandra)
The iron-hulled, steam-powered screw tug Alexandra, built in 1888 by Samuel McKnight & Co. Ltd. at Ayr on Slipway No. 15, was launched on 23 June 1888. (Official Number: 93819.)
-Her first owning company was Alexandra Towing Co. Ltd., based in Liverpool, and she was registered at the Port of Liverpool on 25 October 1888.
-In 1907, she was purchased by the Compagnie de Remorquage et de Sauvetage Marseille & Constantinople and renamed Bordeaux. She was registered under the French flag.
-She was employed in towing operations in the Port of Istanbul until 1912, when she was sold, in the same year, to another French company, the SA Ottomane de Dock et Ateliers du Haut-Bosphore, based at İstinye. Her name was not changed.
-In 1914, in accordance with the mobilization measures of the First World War, she was requisitioned on behalf of the Ottoman Navy; her name remained unchanged.
-Her registration was cancelled in the same year.

David Todd Stewart, John G. Griffiths
The Steam-Powered, Wooden-Hulled Paddle Tug “Washington”
The tug, commissioned by David J. (Todd) Stewart and built at North Shields, was launched on 14 October 1867 and entered service in March 1868.
David Todd Stewart was residing in Istanbul.
The tug, named “Washington,” measured 98 GRT and 8 NRT, with an overall length of 95.3 ft, a beam of 18.3 ft, and a depth of 9.9 ft.
Her compound steam main engine, manufactured by J. P. Almond of Shields, developed 52 hp.
On 12 March 1868, she was registered at North Shields in the name of W. W. Jacobs et al., by the Istanbul-based Levantine William Wilkinson Jacobs.
In 1871, she was purchased from Istanbul by John G. Griffiths and registered in London.
In 1884, she was sold again in Istanbul.
The identity of the purchaser is unknown.

 Emmanuel Vernicos and His Son Nicolaos E. Vernicos
The “Le Bosphorus” Towing and Salvage Company
The “Bosphore” towing and salvage company, established by Emmanuel Vernicos and his son Nicolaos E. Vernicos, operated a fleet of twelve tugs in Istanbul.
Today, the Vernicos family continues its maritime tradition through N. E. Vernicos Shipping Co. Nicholas A. Vernicos, who successfully carries on the Vernicos family business, is the son of Alexandros Vernicos, born on the island of Sifnos in 1916, and Marina Kanaki. Nicholas A. Vernicos's wife is Barbara Vernicos, born in Stratos. His grandfather was Nicolaos E. Vernicos, born in Istanbul in 1867 and died Nicolaos 
in 1947, and his grandmother was Irene Anastasiadis. The senior figure at the foundation of the Vernicos family lineage was Nicholas A. Vernicos's great-grandfather, Emmanouil Vernicos, born in 1835, and his great-grandmother, Barbara Vaou, from the island of Paros. 

In Turkish usage, the term “Rum” generally refers to a Greek-speaking person belonging to the Christian Orthodox faith. The word Rum is derived from Romeos (“Roman”) and has survived into modern usage in a modified form. Throughout history, the term has also acquired other meanings depending on political, economic, and cultural changes.
(Source: Iraklis Millas, Greeks: From the Past to the Present, İletişim Publications, 2014.)
The Greeks of Istanbul were generally settled close to the sea. Greeks who arrived in Istanbul at later periods likewise tended to settle in the same districts. These areas of settlement can often be identified by the locations of old churches.
Before Beyoğlu had fully developed, particularly before the nineteenth century, the Epirotes—who generally operated bakeries or worked as teachers—lived around the churches of Ayios Demetrios and Ayios Yeoryios, in the Sarmaşık area of Edirnekapı, between Fevzi Paşa Avenue and the city walls.

 Vernicos and his wife Irene with their first six children. The couple had eight children in all. From left to right: Dimitri, Nicolaos, Manos, Konstantinos, Varvara, their mother Irene, Marika, and Eleni. Source: Vernicos Family Archive / Aris Bilalis.

Construction workers lived in Vlanga (Yenikapı), around the Church of Ayios Teodoros. Boatmen from Kaşıkada, near Marmara Island, lived in Hasköy near Ayia Paraskevi. Merchants and seamen from Chios lived around the Church of Ioannes Prodromos in Galata, as well as in Tatavla (today's Kurtuluş) and at Yemiş İskelesi on the Golden Horn. Maniots, from the southern Peloponnese, also lived in Tatavla. Cooks and tavern-keepers from Konya were concentrated near the Church of Ayios Nikolaos in Galata.
The Cappadocian Karamanlides lived around the Church of Ayios Konstantinos, west of Samatya. Lesbians lived in Kondoskali (Gedikpaşa), while boatmen from the Dodecanese, divers from Symi, and sponge divers from Kalymnos lived around Balıkpazarı in Galata. The Fener district, meanwhile, contained a population that could be described as predominantly “Byzantine.”
In Üsküdar, Greeks were engaged in trade with Anatolia. From the seventeenth century onward, Greek merchants competed with French merchants. Greeks also lived in considerable numbers in districts such as Kuruçeşme, Arnavutköy, Yeniköy, Tarabya, Büyükdere, and Çengelköy.
Following the decline of the repercussions of the Greek Revolution and the reforms introduced through measures such as the Tanzimat and Islahat edicts, the Greek community experienced its most prosperous period from the middle of the nineteenth century until 1908, particularly during the years when the Greek state was not displaying expansionist tendencies. The community regained the confidence of the Ottoman state and became wealthy, particularly by acting as intermediaries in the commercial affairs of Western powers.
As the Ottoman Empire entered the orbit of the Western market economy during the nineteenth century—especially following the treaty signed with Britain in 1838 and the influx of Western capital, followed by state loans in 1855, 1858, and 1860—a section of the Greek community became increasingly prominent as merchants, commission agents, intermediaries, and bankers (sarraf) serving British and French commercial interests.
During the reign of Abdülhamid II (1876–1909), bankers such as Leonidas Zarifis and Hristakis Zografos were in a position to extend credit to the Ottoman state. Other prominent bankers included Evgenidis, Stefanovik Skilitsis, Mavrokordatos, and Ilyaskos.
Among the better-known businessmen were Simeon Sinissoğlu, Yorgos Hrisovergis, Ioannis Haritonidis, and Iosifakis Eksercis. Some members of the Greek community also attained important positions as physicians, engineers, lawyers, and teachers. They held significant administrative positions in European-owned companies. Skilled workers were also frequently Greeks.
In more recent times, the Greeks of Istanbul have increasingly been remembered nostalgically, as representatives of a more international, cosmopolitan, and Western-oriented Istanbul.
Unpleasant memories associated with conflicts involving Greeks and nationalist tensions have generally faded from collective memory, while the convivial side of Greek Istanbul—with its taverns and lively songs—has increasingly come to be remembered. The Greeks have almost become a pleasant, vanished chapter in the history of Istanbul.
In his important work on the Ottoman Greeks, Iraklis Millas presents memories that are valuable and, at the same time, deeply poignant both for us and for the Greeks who subsequently departed. Yet, while discussing their professions, he may not have been able to devote sufficient space to the Greeks' remarkable expertise in maritime affairs. For Greeks were highly accomplished not only in sailing and wooden shipbuilding, but also in steamship ownership, pilotage, ship towing, and salvage operations in the ports.
Emmanuel Vernicos, through the company he established in Istanbul under the name “Le Bosphorus,” engaged in towing and lighterage operations and transported passengers and petroleum products between the two shores of the Bosphorus using sailing boats and rowing craft.
The story of Emmanouil Vernicos should be viewed from this perspective.
“Vernicos House” is one of the oldest Greek maritime enterprises to have maintained its vitality for more than 120 years. Since its founders took their first entrepreneurial steps in Istanbul in the middle of the nineteenth century, the company has succeeded not only in adapting to a constantly changing environment but also in finding new ways to develop. The family business continues under the leadership of the fourth generation, Nicolaos A. Vernicos. The Vernicos Group is today the oldest maritime company still operating in Greece.
The Chairman of N. E. Vernicos Shipping Co. Ltd., Nicolas A. Vernicos, is currently President of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC-Hellas). In addition to his memberships in professional chambers and organizations, and reflecting his respect for art and history, he has undertaken responsibility as Director-General of the National Museum of Contemporary Art Athens. He is also a member of the organizations involved in establishing a new building for the Greek National Cultural Heritage and Environmental Protection Association and the National Opera and Maria Callas Academy. He is the founding chairman of the Kastella Centre of Contemporary Art in Piraeus.
His ancestor Nicolas E. Vernicos (1869–1947) gave the company its present name. In this new phase, Nicolas E. Vernicos gradually built up a fleet of steam tugs. In time, he also began providing salvage services to vessels that had grounded or required assistance in areas such as the Bosphorus and the Sea of Marmara. In 1906, he took another important step by purchasing a cargo/passenger vessel formerly named “Sofia” and renaming her “Varvara.”
After the First World War, Nicolaos E. Vernicos left Istanbul and took his wife, Irene Anastasiadis, and their eight children to the island of Sifnos aboard his tugs. He subsequently re-established his company in Piraeus.
A family history covering the Vernicos family's activities in ship towing and salvage, beginning with the fourth generation represented by Nicolaos A. Vernicos, has been published. (183) I would like to express my gratitude to the family for their kindness in sending me a copy.
I must also express my thanks to his assistant, Dimitra Kouvela. When I requested information, she responded within a very short time to my questions and requests, providing photographs, family-history material, and other documents. I congratulate Dimitra Kouvela for her remarkable efficiency and attention to detail. I would also like to express my admiration for Nicos A. Vernicos for the close interest he has shown in historical matters.
While preparing the history of the family, Nicos A. Vernicos received historical photographs from a number of friends and researchers, including Peter Davey, who provided previously unpublished photographs from his private archive, as well as Jochen Kruesmann, Peter Fitzpatrick, Paul Silverstone, and Panteleimon Lelekis.
Nicos A. Vernicos's preservation of the Vernicos family's historical archive, and indeed of its history as a whole, deserves particular recognition and respect.

 Nicolaos E. Vernicos's first wooden-hulled steam tug, “Ireni.” Source: Nicolas A. Vernicos / Aris Bilalis Archive.
The significance of this story is further enhanced by the historical research of Elli Vernicou, which documents the family's transition from Istanbul to Piraeus.
For centuries, Istanbul was the economic capital of the Eastern Mediterranean. Its strategic position between East and West, and on the routes leading to the Black Sea and the Danube, made Istanbul the destination of virtually every merchant. In the capital of the Ottoman Empire, Greeks, Armenians, Jews, and other communities together created an extraordinarily diverse cultural environment.
This city, in which Greeks were able to pursue their commercial skills and economic development with considerable freedom (Source: Prof. Gelina Harlaftis), was also an indispensable port for the development of Greek maritime expertise.

Emmanuel N. Vernicos (1835–1915) was born in the village of Artemonas on the Aegean island of Sifnos in the Western Cyclades. Seeking a better life, Emmanuel Vernicos came from Sifnos to Istanbul and settled there in 1850 together with three of his cousins.
While two of his brothers were engaged in commerce and banking, Emmanuel and Michalis turned to maritime activities. Emmanuel was married to Varvara Vaos, who was born in Naousa on the island of Paros. They had several children, including Nikolaos (1867–1947), Frangiskos, Xenophon, and Vasilios.
Emmanuel engaged in the tugboat business in Istanbul with all his children and, most importantly, with his son Nikolaos.
Beginning in 1851, the Vernicos family increasingly concentrated on tugboat operations, ship towing, and, gradually, salvage work, while remaining outside the traditional cargo and passenger shipping business in which Greeks and Ottoman subjects of Greek origin were traditionally engaged.
Nicolaos E. Vernicos met Irene Anastasiadis, who came from a well-established Istanbul family. Supported by Irene's family, Nikolaos soon purchased the tug “Odissos.”
The venture quickly proved profitable, encouraging him to take another step forward. He acquired his first wooden-hulled screw steam tug, which he named “Ireni” and regarded as his lucky vessel.
In 1886, he established his own tugboat company. Through this company, he began transporting passengers and petroleum products from the Shell facilities on the Bosphorus using sailing and rowing craft.
The company's logo bore the name “Le Bosphore” — Nicolaos E. Vernicos.
His brothers Xenophon, Frangiskos, and Vasilios also entered the tugboat business and became highly successful. Apostolos Philipakis, the husband of Emmanuel's daughter Polymnia, was likewise engaged in tugboat operations.
As the number and size of steamships navigating between the Sea of Marmara and the Black Sea—and between Istanbul, the Black Sea, and the Sea of Marmara—increased, so too did the demand for tugs capable of towing these increasingly large vessels.

 Nicolaos E. Vernicos's iron-hulled steam tug “Olga.” Source: Nicolas A. Vernicos / Aris Bilalis Archive.
In 1901, Nicolaos and Irene gave their first son the name of his grandfather, Emmanuel (Manos).
The couple had eight children: Manos (1901–1947), Dimitrios (1907–1996), Alexandros (1916–1991), Konstantinos (1910–1984), and four daughters: Varvara, Marika, Eleni, and Elli.
The first seven children were born in Istanbul, while the youngest son, Alexandros Vernicos, was born on the island of Sifnos.
The shipowner Apostolos Philippakis married Polymnia Vernicou, the daughter of Emmanuel Vernicos.
MJ Stamadiades, Hacı Davud Farkouh, Nicholaos Emmanuel Vernicos, Marc Rigo
The Iron-Hulled Paddle-Wheel Tug “Olga”
Built for the London-based GN Tanivaco, the 119-GRT, 34-NRT wooden-hulled paddle-tug “Olga” entered service in December 1879.
Her single-expansion steam main engine developed 50 nhp and was manufactured by W. Hepple & Co. of South Shields.
In 1890, she was purchased in Istanbul by the pilotage and towing company MJ Stamadiades.
In 1900, she was purchased in Izmir by the pilotage and towing company Hacı Davud Farkouh.
In 1902, she was purchased by Nicholaos E. Vernicos and renamed “Sofia.”
Nicolaos Emmanuel Vernicos was not involved exclusively in the tugboat business. In 1902, he purchased a small cargo vessel named “Olga” and, six years later, renamed her “Sophia V.”
Although the vessel was sold in 1911, she was subsequently repurchased by the Vernicos family and renamed “Varvara.”
Michalis Vernicos also entered the shipowning business. In 1910, he purchased a thirty-year-old cargo vessel and named her “Penelope.”
At the end of 1912, anticipating the possible confiscation of their tugs by the Turkish authorities, the Vernicos family transferred ownership of all their tugs to Marc Rigo, a Levantine French citizen of Istanbul.
The tugs remained under the management of the Vernicos family and were subsequently returned to their ownership.
In 1914, Nicolaos leased one of his tugs to the Ottoman Government for transporting petroleum from the Standard Oil facilities to Istanbul.
Following the outbreak of the First World War, the Allied Powers instructed Nicolaos not to deliver the petroleum to Turkey and instead to divert his vessel to Greek ports.
Faced with this extremely difficult situation, the Vernicos family eventually left Istanbul.
During the Balkan Wars, the twelve tugs that remained in Istanbul were requisitioned by the Turkish Government.
In 1914, “Olga” was sold to another French citizen, while “Varvara” was sold in 1916.
Although Nicolaos was forced to leave Istanbul, abandoning his home and business there, he never abandoned the tugboat, towing, and salvage profession.
In 1916, he placed an order with Ardrossan Shipbuilding Co. in Scotland for the construction of his first large salvage tug. He named the vessel “Aghios Georgios.”

The Steam-Powered, Screw-Propelled, Iron-Hulled Tug “Avgi”
The “Avgi,” whose date and shipyard of construction are unknown, measured 36 GRT and was registered at the Port of Istanbul under No. 51. In 1912, due to political circumstances, she was transferred by Nicholaos Vernicos to M. Rigo, a French Levantine resident of Istanbul. In May 1919, she was returned to I. Phillipakis and D. Vernicos & Co., based in Istanbul. In July 1922, she was sold to G. Vlastaris, an Istanbul-based shipowner engaged in towing services.
In January 1933, she was purchased in Piraeus by I. Kritikakis, registered at the Port of Piraeus, and renamed “Kalliope-Christiavgi.” In March 1934, she was sold to I. Gariffalos, also based in Piraeus, and converted into a fishing vessel. In the same year, I. Kritikakis purchased her again and converted her back into a tug. In 1939, she was sold to the Panagiotopoulos Brothers of Piraeus.
In April 1941, she was requisitioned by the German occupation forces. In August 1944, she struck a mine off the Salamis Naval Base and sank.

 
The tug “Aghios Georgios” while towing the general-cargo vessel “Maria E. Diacakis,” which had gone aground.

The Steam-Powered, Screw-Propelled, Iron-Hulled Tug “Eftychia”
The French-built “Eftychia,” whose date of construction is unknown, measured 27 GRT, with an overall length of 15.65 metres and a beam of 3.55 metres. Registered at the Port of Istanbul under No. 4, the “Eftychia” was sold in December 1900 by Vas. Emmanuel Vernicos to D. Alexatos, an Istanbul-based shipowner engaged in towing services.
-In May 1911, she was purchased by Emmanuel N. Vernicos.
-In December 1922, she was purchased by D. Alexatos and registered at the Port of Piraeus.
-In 1924, she was purchased by the Psaros Brothers.
-In 1925, she was purchased by the Kouzoulis Brothers.
-In 1929, she was purchased by Nicolaos Vernicos and registered at the Port of Piraeus.
-On 1 January 1944, she was hit and sank during the Allied bombing of the occupied Salamis Naval Base.

The Steam-Powered, Screw-Propelled, Steel-Hulled Tug “Aghios Georgios”
(Ex-“Stalwark”, Ex-“Sea Dog”)
Built in 1916 by Ardrossan Dry Dock & Shipbuilding Co. Ltd. at Ardrossan for the Admiralty in London, under Yard No. 266, the tug was originally named “Stalwark.” She was subsequently renamed “Sea Dog.”
The “Sea Dog” measured 153 GRT and 12 NRT, with an overall length of 95.0 ft, a beam of 22.0 ft and a depth of 12.8 ft. Her compound steam main engine, manufactured by Aitchison, Blair Ltd. of Clydebank, was of the triple-expansion type and developed sufficient power to give her a maximum speed of 9 knots.
Nicolas E. Vernicos concluded an agreement to purchase the vessel and acquired her in July 1915, before her completion.
She undertook salvage operations in Istanbul and the Sea of Marmara.
Following the departure of the Vernicos family from Istanbul, she was registered at the Port of Piraeus in 1919 in the name of Nicolaos E. Vernicos.

The Steam-Powered, Screw-Propelled, Iron-Hulled Tug “Driskos”
(Ex-“Vittorin”, Ex-“Mellon”)
Another of the tugs owned by Nicolaos Emmanuel Vernicos in Istanbul was the 28-GRT “Vittorin,” built at Hammersmith in 1883.
-In 1912, she was sold to I. Vlasopoulos & P. Potamianos and renamed “Mellon.”
-In September 1920, she was sold to N. Mihas and renamed “Driskos.”
-In January 1929, she was sold to A. Nikolasrakis & Co.
-On 23 April 1941, she was hit and sank during the bombing of the Salamis Naval Base.
While other members of the family were turning towards shipowning, Nicolas Vernicos returned to Istanbul after the end of the First World War. Since most of his tugs had either been sold or lost during the wartime conditions, he ordered a new tug from a shipyard in Istanbul. Delivered to him in 1920, the tug was named “Sifnos.”
From 1922 onwards, members of the family, including Michalis N. Vernicos, turned to passenger transportation between mainland Greece and the islands.
As a result of the succession of wars, the Vernicos family left Istanbul in 1922, hoping to return shortly thereafter. Alexandros Vernicos, Nicolas Vernicos’s father, described their return to Sifnos as follows:
“We first arrived on the island of Sifnos, I believe, in September 1922. We remained there until the end of the summer of 1924, when our entire family left for Piraeus. Although the Vernicos family had been deprived of its assets in Istanbul, it was determined to continue its business from Piraeus. Initially, my father opened an office on the first floor of a building at the corner of Akti Tzelepi. During this period, Nikolaos and Irene purchased a property in Nea Smyrna at 28 Aidiniou Street, intending to build a house for Manos, who had recently married Phoebe Coums of Canada. The house eventually built became the home of Nikolaos and Irene and their daughter Elli. In 1930, fifteen years after the sale of the ‘Varvara,’ Manos Vernicos purchased a general-cargo steamer. The vessel was named ‘Popi’ and was employed in tramp trading.”
I shall conclude the story of the Vernicos family here. However, the complete story can be read under the title “The History of the Vernicos Maritime Family.”

 
The tug “Aghios Georgios” engaged in salvage operations on the general-cargo vessel “Mete,” which had gone aground.
Built in Scotland, the “Aghios Georgios” was the first steam-powered towing and salvage tug of the Vernicos family. Since 2003, she has been preserved and exhibited at the Rahmi M. Koç Museum.

Today, N. E. Vernicos is Greece’s largest and oldest tugboat company. With its fleet of technologically advanced tugs, the company continues to provide towing and salvage services not only in Greek ports but also in international waters.

The Steam-Powered, Steel-Hulled Salvage and Towing Tug “Alemdar”
(Ex-“Danmark”)
In almost all articles and publications written about the “Gazi Alemdar,” and even in the official records concerning the preserved museum ship “Alemdar,” the name of this vessel is given as “Denmark.” The correct name, however, was “Danmark.”
Her name derived from that of her owner, Danmark Em 2 Sviter Bjerg Enterprise. Built in 1898 at the Helsingør Jernskibsværft & Maskinbyggeri shipyard in Elsinore, Copenhagen, on behalf of the Danish shipowning company Danmark Em 2 Sviter Bjerg Enterprise, the salvage and towing tug was launched on 4 June 1898 and christened “Danmark.”
Taking advantage of the capitulatory privileges granted by the Ottoman Empire, the owners placed “Danmark” into service in Istanbul on 21 May 1899, with the intention of providing salvage and towing services throughout Ottoman territorial waters.
Although she was registered under the Danish flag and in the Danish ship register, as was the case with other foreign salvage, towing and pilotage companies operating in the Ottoman Empire, Istanbul became “Danmark’s” home port.
With a crew of 28, “Danmark” measured 362 GRT, with an overall length of 49.5 metres, a beam of 8 metres and a depth of 4 metres. Her triple-expansion main steam engine developed 132 NHP, giving her a maximum speed of 10 knots.
During the mobilisation preparations for the First World War, she was requisitioned by the Ottoman government on 8 November 1914 and renamed “Alemdar” on 1 January 1915.
She provided salvage and towing services during the period when the battleship Yavuz Sultan Selim was aground on the Nara shoal, from 11:32 on 20 January 1918 until she was refloated at 05:47 on 26 January 1918.
On 25 January 1921, she was secretly taken to Ereğli on the Black Sea for service in support of the Turkish National Struggle.
In 1929, after having rendered valuable services during the years of the War of Independence, “Alemdar” was removed from the Naval inventory and transferred to the Turkish Seyr-i Sefain Administration.
In 1951, she underwent a major overhaul at the Istanbul Golden Horn shipyards. Her boilers were renewed, and she was equipped with modern salvage equipment, after which she resumed her operations.
Towards the end of 1959, she was withdrawn from service by the General Directorate of State Maritime Lines and Ports under the Ministry of Transport.
In 1960, she was sold to the private sector and converted into a water tanker.
In 1964, she was transferred to Işıkurt Denizcilik.
In 1980, she was purchased by Garzan Aksoy Denizcilik.
In 1982, she was broken up in the Golden Horn.

Steam-Powered, Screw-Propelled, Iron-Hulled Tug “Avgi”
The construction date and shipyard of the “Avgi” are unknown. She was of 36 GRT and was registered at the Port of Istanbul under No. 51. In 1912, she was transferred by Nicholaos Vernicos to M. Rigo, a French Levantine resident of Istanbul, due to political circumstances. In May 1919, she was returned to I. Phillipakis and D. Vernicos & Co., based in Istanbul. In July 1922, she was sold to the Istanbul-based shipowner G. Vlastaris, who was engaged in ship-towing operations. In January 1933, she was purchased by I. Kritikakis in Piraeus and registered at the Port of Piraeus under the name “Kalliope-Christiavgi.” In March 1934, she was sold to the Piraeus-based I. Gariffalos and converted into a fishing vessel. In the same year, I. Kritikakis purchased her again and converted her back into a tug. In 1939, she was sold to the Piraeus-based Panagiotopoulos Brothers. In April 1941, she was requisitioned by the German occupation forces. In August 1944, she struck a mine and sank off the Salamis Naval Base.

Steam-Powered, Screw-Propelled, Iron-Hulled Tug “Eftychia”
The French-built “Eftychia,” whose construction date is unknown, was 27 GRT, with an overall length of 15.65 metres and a beam of 3.55 metres. Registered at the Port of Istanbul under No. 4, the “Eftychia” was sold in December 1900 by Vas. Emmanuel Vernicos to D. Alexatos, an Istanbul-based shipowner engaged in ship-towing operations.
-In May 1911, she was purchased by Emmanuel N. Vernicos.
-In December 1922, she was purchased by D. Alexatos and registered at the Port of Piraeus.
-In 1924, she was purchased by the Psaros Brothers.
-In 1925, she was purchased by the Kouzoulis Brothers.
-In 1929, she was purchased by Nicolaos Vernicos and registered at the Port of Piraeus.
-On 1 January 1944, she was hit and sank during Allied bombing raids on the German-occupied Salamis Naval Base.

Steam-Powered, Screw-Propelled, Steel-Hulled Tug “Aghios Georgios” – (Ex-“Stalwark”, 
Ex-“Sea Dog”)
The tug later named “Aghios Georgios” was built in 1916 at Ardrossan Dry Dock & Shipbuilding Co. Ltd., Ardrossan, for The Admiralty, London, under Yard No. 266. Her original construction name was “Stalwark.” Her name was subsequently changed to “Sea Dog.”
The “Sea Dog,” of 153 GRT and 12 NRT, had an overall length of 95.0 ft., a beam of 22.0 ft., and a depth of 12.8 ft. Her triple-expansion steam main engine, manufactured by Aitchison, Blair Ltd. of Clydebank, gave her a maximum speed of 9 knots.
Nicolaos E. Vernicos entered into an agreement to purchase the tug and acquired her in July 1915, before she had been completed.
She undertook salvage and towing services in Istanbul and the Sea of Marmara.
Following the departure of the Vernicos family from Istanbul, she was registered at the Port of Piraeus in 1919 in the name of Nicolaos E. Vernicos.

Steam-Powered, Screw-Propelled, Iron-Hulled Tug “Driskos” – (Ex-“Vittorin”, Ex-“Mellon”)
Another tug belonging to Nicolaos Emmanuel Vernicos and operating in Istanbul was the 28-GRT “Vittorin,” built at Hammersmith in 1883.
-In 1912, she was sold to I. Vlasopoulos & P. Potamianos and renamed “Mellon.”
-In September 1920, she was sold to N. Mihas and renamed “Driskos.”
-In January 1929, she was sold to A. Nikolasrakis & Co.
-On 23 April 1941, she was hit and sank during the bombing of the Salamis Naval Base.
While other members of the family were turning toward shipowning, Nicolas Vernicos returned to Istanbul after the end of the First World War. Since most of his tugs had either been sold or lost during the wartime period, he ordered a new tug from a shipyard in Istanbul. Delivered in 1920, the tug was named “Sifnos.”
From 1922 onward, members of the family, including Michalis N. Vernicos, turned to passenger transportation between mainland Greece and the islands. As a result of the successive wars, the Vernicos family left Istanbul in 1922, hoping that they would soon be able to return.
Nicolas Vernicos’s father, Alexandros Vernicos, described their return to Sifnos as follows:
“We first arrived on the island of Sifnos, I believe, in September 1922. We remained there until the end of the summer of 1924, when the whole family left for Piraeus. Although the Vernicos family had been deprived of its assets in Istanbul, we were determined to continue our business from Piraeus. At first, my father opened an office on the first floor of a building at the corner of Akti Tzelepi. During this period, Nikolaos and Irene purchased a property in Nea Smyrna, at 28 Aidiniou Street, in order to build a house for Manos, who had recently married Phoebe Coums of Canada. The house that was eventually built became the home of Nikolaos and Irene and their daughter Elli. Fifteen years after the sale of the ‘Varvara,’ Manos Vernicos purchased a general-cargo steamer in 1930. The vessel was named ‘Popi’ and was employed in tramp service.”
I shall conclude the story of the Vernicos family here. However, the complete history can be read under the title “The History of the Vernicos Maritime Family.”
Today, N. E. Vernicos is Greece’s largest and oldest tugboat company. With its fleet of technologically advanced tugs, the company continues to provide ship-towing and salvage services not only in Greek ports but also in international waters.

 Steam-Powered, Steel-Hulled Salvage and Towing Tug “Alemdar” – (Ex-“Danmark”)
In almost all articles and publications written about the “Gazi Alemdar,” and even in the official records concerning the museum ship “Alemdar,” the name of this vessel is given as “Denmark.” The correct name, however, was “Danmark.”
Her name derived from that of her owner, Danmark Em 2 Sviter Bjerg Enterprise. Built in 1898 at Helsingør, Denmark, at the Helsingørs Jernskib & Maskinbyggeri shipyard for the Copenhagen-based shipowning company Danmark Em 2 Sviter Bjerg Enterprise, the salvage and towing tug was launched on 4 June 1898 and christened “Danmark.”
Taking advantage of the capitulatory privileges enjoyed by foreign companies in the Ottoman Empire, the owners placed “Danmark” into service in Istanbul on 21 May 1899 to provide salvage and towing services throughout Ottoman territorial waters.
Although she was registered under the Danish flag and in the Danish ship register, Istanbul became the port of registry for “Danmark,” as was also the case with other foreign salvage, towing and pilotage companies operating in the Ottoman Empire.
With a crew of 28, “Danmark” measured 362 GRT, with an overall length of 49.5 metres, a beam of 8 metres and a depth of 4 metres. Her triple-expansion main steam engine developed 132 NHP, giving her a maximum speed of 10 knots.
During the mobilisation preparations for the First World War, the vessel was requisitioned by the Ottoman Government on 8 November 1914 and renamed “Alemdar” on 1 January 1915.
She performed salvage and towing services from the time the battleship Yavuz Sultan Selim ran aground on the shoal off Cape Nara at 11:32 on 20 January 1918 until she was refloated at 05:47 on 26 January 1918.
On 25 January 1921, she was taken to Ereğli on the Black Sea for service in support of the Turkish National Struggle.
In 1929, following the years of the War of Independence, “Alemdar,” which had rendered valuable services during the struggle, was removed from the Naval inventory and transferred to the Turkish Seyr-i Sefain Administration.
In 1951, she underwent a major overhaul at the Istanbul Golden Horn shipyards. Her boilers were renewed, and she was equipped with modern salvage equipment and machinery, after which she continued her operations.
Toward the end of 1959, she was withdrawn from service by the General Administration of the State Maritime Lines and Ports under the Ministry of Transport.
In 1960, she was sold to the private sector and converted into a water tanker.
In 1964, she was transferred to Işıkurt Denizcilik.
In 1980, she was purchased by Garzan Aksoy Denizcilik.
In 1982, she was broken up in the Golden Horn.

The Battleship “Yavuz Sultan Selim” Aground at Nara on 22 January 1918
The battlecruiser “Yavuz Sultan Selim” ran aground at Nara on 20 January 1918.
On 20 January 1918, the “Yavuz” should have passed the Nara Cape shoal with the shoal buoy kept to starboard. However, as a result of an error in assessment, she ran aground on the Çanakkale/Nara Cape shoal.
Thanks to the extensive freedom granted by the capitulations, foreign towing, salvage and pilotage companies operated in Ottoman territorial waters, including İzmir, Çanakkale, Gallipoli and Istanbul.
The vessel belonging to Danmark Em 2 Sviter Bjerg Enterprise, referred to in some accounts as the “Alemdar that could not return to Denmark,” was not “Alemdar” but “Danmark.” The error in the record entitled Kahraman Gemilerimiz (“Our Heroic Ships”) should therefore be corrected.The “Yavuz” battlecruiser did not run aground at Nara on 22/26 January 1916. She ran aground on 22 January 1918.
Furthermore, one of the vessels that towed the “Yavuz” was not named “Gelibolu” but “Gallipoli,” and she belonged to the Deutsche Levante Linie A.G. (DLL).
Likewise, the vessel referred to as “Stamboul” in “Kahraman Gemilerimiz” was actually named “Stambul” and belonged to the Deutsche Levante Linie A.G. 
The Battleship “Yavuz Sultan Selim” Ran Aground at Nara on 20 January 1918
The battleship “Yavuz Sultan Selim” ran aground at Nara on 20 January 1918.
On that day, the “Yavuz” was supposed to pass the shoal buoy off Cape Nara with the buoy remaining to starboard. However, as a result of an error in judgement, she ran aground on the Çanakkale/Nara shoal.

 
The battleship “Yavuz Sultan Selim” remained aground on the Nara shoal from 11:32 on 20 January 1918 until she was refloated at 05:47 on 26 January 1918. The salvage vessel “Alemdar” (Ex-“Danmark”) can be seen in the stern area.
After the “Yavuz Sultan Selim” battleship, which had run aground at Nara on 22 January 1918, was refloated, she proceeded toward Istanbul/İstinye under tow by the Deutsche Levante Linie A.G. (DLL) freighter “Gallipoli,” the “Alemdar” (Ex-“Danmark”) and the tug “Kurt.” The name “Alemdar” can be seen at the bow, written in Latin script with the former Ottoman script underneath.

January 1918.
Furthermore, one of the vessels that towed the “Yavuz” was not named “Gelibolu”; her name was “Gallipoli,” and she belonged to Deutsche Levante Linie A.G. (DLL).
Likewise, the vessel referred to as “Stamboul” in the Kahraman Gemilerimiz record was not “Stamboul”; her correct name was “Stambul,” a vessel belonging to Deutsche Levante Linie A.G.

Steam-Powered, Steel-Hulled Salvage and Towing Tug “Hora”
(Ex-Lyons, Ex-Lyon, Ex-La Nina, Ex-Lanina, Ex-La Nina)
The salvage vessel was built for the London-based Brighton & South Coast Railway Co. under the name “Lyons.” Constructed in 1885 at the J. Elder & Co. shipyard in Glasgow (Charles and William Earle), the vessel was built for the Brighton & South Coast Railway Co. and named “Lyons.”
-Her twin-screw, six-expansion main steam engine, developing 250 hp, was manufactured by J. Elder & Co.
-“Lyons” had an overall length of 190.6 ft., a beam of 26.1 ft., and a depth of 14.0 ft. In 1889, her name was altered to “Lyon.” Her port of registry was Dieppe.
-In 1892, her name was changed back to “Lyons.”
-In 1920, she was purchased by the London-based Ocean Salvage Co. and renamed “La Nina.”
-During 31 January–8 February 1920, she was at Odessa for the evacuation of White Russians fleeing the Red Army and members of the American mission. In a message dated 13 February 1920 and classified “Secret (ADM 137/1756),” Colonel Reinhold, commanding officer of HMS Robeck, one of the British warships at Odessa, sent the following report from Istanbul to Admiral Sir de Robeck, Commander-in-Chief of the British Mediterranean Fleet, summarizing events as follows:
“On 31 January 1920, we were in the port of Odessa together with HMS Ceres, HMS Orion and the salvage tug La Nina. We received news that the Red Army had crossed the Bug River and entered Nicolaev. The collier Wotan was trapped in the ice. She was able to enter the harbour after a channel had been opened for her. On 6 February 1920, HMS Habsburg put to sea carrying 1,300 White Russian refugees. All 234 Americans from the former Ottoman Empire in Istanbul, together with the Consul and his assistants, transferred to HMS Orion. The George was towed out into the open sea by La Nina after a channel had been opened. On 8 February, the tug Ceres shifted berth and anchored ahead of the vessel Baku. At 14.00 hours she departed for Varna with Baku in tow. However, while underway she received orders to proceed to Istanbul. On the morning of 12 February, following orders for the tug Alice to take Baku to Varna, Ceres departed directly for Istanbul.”
-In 1932, she was transferred to Türk Gemi Kurtarma AŞ (Turkish Salvage Co.).
-In 1935, she was renamed “Hora” and became part of Türk Gemi Kurtarma AŞ.
-In 1940, she was transferred to the State Maritime Lines Administration of the Republic of Turkey.
-In 1958, she was withdrawn from service and transferred to the Istanbul Port Administration.For some time, she was used as an office afloat.In 1984, she was sold for scrap.

The salvage and towing vessel “Hora” (ex-La Nina) at Büyükdere. Oil painting.

Steam-Powered, Steel-Hulled Salvage and Towing Tug “Cleopatra”
(Ex-Cleopatra III, Ex-Kleopatra, Ex-Kilyos, Ex-Sadık Kaptan, Ex-Hantallar)
On 1 February 1906, the open-sea fishing vessel launched from Slipway No. 506 at Earle’s Shipbuilding & Engineering Co. Ltd. in Hull, on behalf of Earle’s Co., Hull, was named “Cleopatra.”
-Measuring 56.83 m in overall length, 7.01 m in beam and 3.81 m in depth, and registering 119 grt., Cleopatra was fitted with a three-expansion main steam engine developing 56 nhp., equivalent to 102 hp. Her first owner was Hellyer’s Steam Fishing Co. Ltd. of Hull.
-In 1914, she was requisitioned by the Admiralty for the requirements of the First World War and renamed “Cleopatra III.”
-In 1918, she was returned to her owner, the British salvage company Kilcher & Walkers Co., which operated in Istanbul, and her name was changed back to “Cleopatra.”
-In 1933, she was transferred to Türk Gemi Kurtarma Ltd.
-In 1934, her name was changed to “Kleopatra.”
-In 1935, she became part of Türk Gemi Kurtarma AŞ and was renamed “Kilyos.”
-In 1939, the institution was reorganized and renamed Türk Gemi Kurtarma Müessesesi.
-In 1940, she was placed under the General Directorate of State Maritime Lines of the Ministry of Transport of the Republic of Turkey.
-On 31 December 1967, she was withdrawn from service.
-On 1 January 1968, she was converted into a general cargo vessel and renamed “Sadık Kaptan.”
-On 22 October 1991, she was purchased by Rasim Hantal and Partners and renamed “Hantallar.”

The Danish-flagged salvage tug “Semper Paratus” and the Swedish-flagged “Belos,” reported to have been operating in Istanbul in 1926 and thereafter. One of the earliest photographs of the Alemdar Salvage Vessel after the adoption of the Turkish alphabet.

James Steward
Steam-Powered, Steel-Hulled, Screw-Propelled Salvage Tug “Buttercup”
(Ex-Semper Paratus, Ex-Teseo)
The sloop “Buttercup” was built in 1915 at Clydeholm Yard in Glasgow by Barclay & Co. Ltd. for the British Royal Navy and was named Buttercup.
-Registering 931 grt., 322 nrt. and 1,250 dwt., Buttercup was an Arabis-class minesweeper in the British Navy. She was launched on 24 October 1915 and entered naval service in December 1915.
-Her Barclay, Curle & Co. Ltd. of Glasgow-built main steam engine was a single-shaft installation with two coal-fired boilers and a maximum output of 2,000 ihp. Her maximum speed was 16 knots.
-Her overall length was 255.4 ft., beam 33.7 ft., and depth 17.2 ft. On 5 February 1920, she was sold to Hughes & Co.
-Following extensive conversion for salvage work, she was renamed “Semper Paratus.” The expression is of Latin origin and means “Always Ready.”
-In the same year, she was purchased on behalf of the London-based Cecil F. Read & Charles Z. Landi (Aveready Salvage Co.).
-In 1921, she was registered at the Port of London.
-In 1923, the salvage and towing company Vincent S. E. Grech, operating at Çanakkale and Gallipoli, sought to purchase her; however, the sale was cancelled by a London court.
-In 1926, she was registered in the names of C. F. Read, C. Z. Landi and Allert Trust Ltd., London.
-In 1927, she was purchased by “İmdad” London Ltd., chaired by James Stewart.
-She entered service in Istanbul under a temporary permit.
-“İmdad” London Ltd., chaired by James Stewart, was based in London.
-In 1930, she was transferred to Greece.
-When İmdad London Ltd. became insolvent in 1930, she was seized by the Piraeus Execution and Bankruptcy Court for the company’s debts.
-In 1932, she was purchased by the Italian Government and renamed “Teseo.” She was transferred to the Italian Navy (Regia Marina).
-On 11 April 1943, she was sunk during an air raid on Trapani after sustaining bomb damage. All 36 members of her crew were killed or drowned.

Steam-Powered, Steel-Hulled, Screw-Propelled Salvage Tug “Belos”
Built in 1885 at the Motala Co. shipyard in Gothenburg, the salvage tug Belos registered 441 grt. Her dimensions were: overall length 167.9 ft., beam 26.1 ft., and depth 13.1 ft.
-Her first owner was Bergnings & Dykeriaktb. Neptun, headed by E. Brodin.
-Her two-expansion main steam engine was manufactured by Motala Co. of Gothenburg.
-Between 1920 and 1926, she operated in İzmir, Çanakkale, Istanbul and the Black Sea as one of the salvage vessels of the London-based Norsk Bjergningskompagni “Neptun.”
-Her registration appears in Lloyd’s Register through 1940.

The Need for Tugs in the Port of Istanbul Continues to Increase
As Istanbul did not possess a port in the modern international sense, regulations were promulgated in 1923 in an attempt to bring as much order as possible to the confusion prevailing in the harbour.
A memorandum dated 10 October 1339 (1923), prepared by the Judicial Commission, concerned the administration and policing of Istanbul Harbour and the regulation of taxation. It was submitted to the Chamber of Deputies by Mahir Feridun Fikri, Deputy for Kastamonu and Dersim and Rapporteur of the Judicial Commission on behalf of its Chairman, together with Secretary Bozok and members Ahmet Hamdi of Ankara, İhsan of Mersin, Besim of Konya and Mustafa Feyzi of Bayezid.
The provisions concerning tugs in the “Istanbul Port Law” were included in the first chapter of the “Government Proposal concerning Istanbul Harbour and the Anchorage Area.” The proposal also contained provisions specifying which authority would own the mooring buoys in the harbour.
The Third Chapter concerned the mooring buoys in the harbour and stipulated:
“Ships shall be secured to the buoys assigned to them, being fastened from bow and stern while maintaining the position and direction prescribed for them within the limits of the said buoys.”
(Article 6)
“No vessel may anchor or navigate between the buoy lines. Only during adverse weather may vessels secured to the buoys drop anchor in order to ensure greater security.”
(Article 7)
“Tugs and steam launches are prohibited from towing more than four barges in Galata Harbour and the Inner Harbour.”
(Article 17)
“Alongside vessels at anchor, secured to buoys, or lying alongside a quay, there shall not be more than three barges positioned one above another along the vessel’s side.”
(Article 21)
“Every vessel within Istanbul Harbour shall fly the national flag.”
(Article 22)
“Within Galata Harbour and the Inner Harbour, boats, small craft, barges, lighters, cargo boats and all other watercraft are prohibited from setting sail.”
(Article 29)
Ships passing beneath the bridges were also subject to specific tug requirements:
“Vessels between 2,000 and 4,000 gross tons shall pass the bridges under tow with one tug stationed at the bow; vessels exceeding 4,000 gross tons shall pass the bridges under tow with two tugs, one stationed at the bow and the other at the stern.”

Sotiris Hazzopoulos
Steam-Powered, Screw-Propelled, Iron-Hulled Tug “Memo”
The date and shipyard of construction of Memo are unknown. She registered 36 grt. and was a Greek-flagged tug owned by Sotiris Hazzopoulos, an Ottoman subject.
-On 20 December 1912, she was requisitioned by the Ottoman Government and placed at the disposal of the Navy.
-On 12 December 1915, she was sunk near Eskihisar by the British submarine E-11.

Glasgow, Steel & Bennie-Built Steam-Powered Screw Tug “Wrestler,” 
Renamed “Muria” in 1920
Fethiyye(Ex-Futijy, Ex-Hotspur, after 1920 Muria)
The tug originally named “Futijy” was built in 1914 at Bowling by Scott & Sons, on Slipway No. 225, for Glasgow-based Steel & Bennie Ltd. She was launched on 26 June 1914 and entered service in July 1914.
-Wrestler registered 192 grt. Her dimensions were: overall length 106.4 ft., beam 23.1 ft., and depth 11.8 ft.
-Her two-expansion main steam engine, manufactured by Aitchison, Blair Ltd. of Clydbank, developed 99 nhp and 800 ihp. Her maximum speed was 12 knots.
-Her name was changed to “Hotspur” in the same year.
-In August 1914, she was purchased for the Ottoman Navy and named “Fethiyye.”
-In December 1914, she was requisitioned at Bowling by the British Admiralty on behalf of the London-based C. Rowbotham & Sons.
-In 1915, she was employed in towing services for the Admiralty at the Port of Le Havre.
-In 1920, she was sold to the London-based W. Watkins and renamed “Muria.”
-Operated by W. Watkins until 19 September 1939, Muria was sailing five miles off North Foreland on 8 November 1940 when she struck a mine and sank while under Admiralty service.

Steam-Powered, Side-Wheel, Wooden-Hulled Tug “Britannia”
Built in 1852 at the Money Wigram slipways at Northam, Southampton, for the London-based William Watkins, the wooden-hulled, side-wheel tug Britannia was fitted with a two-expansion main steam engine developing 400 ihp, manufactured in London by John Stewart.
According to Bernd Langensiepen and Ahmet Güleryüz, in their highly valuable study entitled The Ottoman Navy, 1828–1923, the name of the tug appearing on page 223 is presumably printed incorrectly as “Fatihiye,” most likely as a typographical or printing error. There is no such Ottoman Turkish word in Ferit Devellioğlu’s Ottoman Turkish–Turkish Encyclopedic Dictionary. The correct form should therefore be “Fethiyye.”
Likewise, the name of the tug should not be “Wreatler” but “Wrestler,” according to the records of Clyd Built Tugs and Tug Builders.
In 1855, the tug was purchased by John T. Corpi, one of the Galata bankers, and sold in Istanbul.

H. George Graham et al.
Steam-Powered, Side-Wheel, Wooden-Hulled Tug “Henry Wright”
The steam-powered, side-wheel, wooden-hulled tug “Henry Wright” was built in 1852 at the A. Woodhouse Shipyard in South Shields for William Wright of South Shields and entered service on 17 April 1852.
-On 2 June 1852, she was transferred to the partnership of William & George Wright and John, Robert & George Gibson.
-In 1852, she was sold to H. George Graham et al. of South Shields and departed for Istanbul.
-According to a report published in the London Daily News dated Friday, 5 November 1852, she suffered severe fire damage while lying at anchor in Istanbul on 19 October 1852. A survey was requested from Britain.
-The tug “Henry Wright” continued towing between Istanbul and the Black Sea ports until the summer of 1865 or 1866. While engaged in towing operations in the Black Sea, she sank as a result of water entering the vessel.Her entry in Lloyd’s Register was deleted on 31 January 1889.
-The Friday, 5 November 1852 issue of the London Daily News reported that Henry Wright had suffered severe fire damage while lying at anchor in Istanbul on 19 October 1852.

 Like the Swedish Stockholm-based W. R. Edlind International Ship Towing, Salvage and Diving Services Company’s “Belos,” the company also stationed the salvage and towing tug “Herakles” at Çanakkale and Gallipoli, thereby establishing a powerful fleet for ship towing and salvage operations. Photographs: Çanakkale City Archives. The salvage and towing tug “Herakles” at Çanakkale.  

Record of the fleet of salvage and towing tugs belonging to W. R. Edlind (Salvage and Diving); Source: Lloyd’s Register of Shipping – Liste des Armateurs et des Directeurs-Gérants / List of Ship Owners and Managers.

The shipowning company to which the salvage and towing tug “Belos,” which operated in Turkey, belonged was W. R. Edlind, based at 14–16 Stadsgården, Stockholm, Sweden. The company provided ship towing, salvage and diving services in international waters under the name Bergnings och Dykeriaktieb (Salvage and Diving).
The vessels in its fleet were:
Ajax 1904 …………119 grt.
Belos 1885 ………..441 grt.
Diana 1898 ……….213 grt.
Eol 1876 …….……..152 grt.
Helios 1896 ………300 grt.
Herakles 1908 ……508 grt.
Hermes 1888 …….430 grt.
Mercur 1889 ……..131 grt.
Neptun 1870 ……..289 grt.
Pluto 1866 ….……..286 grt.
Poseidon 1872 …...237 grt.
The history of the salvage and diving company that owned the salvage tugs “Belos” and “Herakles” can be traced back to 1865. Consul Edward Liljewalch took his first step into the salvage and diving/wreck-removal business by purchasing shares on the Stockholm Stock Exchange in a company engaged in these activities. The company, named “Neptun,” achieved an important success in 1870 by refloating the Finnish sailing vessel Emilie and towing her to Stockholm. Having carried out a considerable number of salvage and towing operations by 1878, the company established a branch in Reval under the name “Bergungs und Taucher Gesellschaft Neptun.” In 1887–1888, its activities in the Russian Baltic Sea region came to an end, and the company withdrew from these waters.

“Herakles” was the newest salvage and towing tug in the fleet.
Built in 1908 by Burmeister & Wain A/S, Copenhagen, “Herakles” was fitted with a triple-expansion steam main engine developing 1,060 ihp, built by Bergnings & Dykeri AB Neptun of Stockholm. She was scrapped in 1961.

The company decided to limit its salvage operations to the Baltic Sea and Danish waters, and it offered cooperation. In time, a partnership was established with the International Salvage Union Ltd. Under the agreement, the German company would contribute three vessels (salvage and towing tugs) to the association. Svitzers and Neptunbolaget would each station a salvage vessel in the Mediterranean. According to the agreement, the vessels would be positioned at suitable locations between Gibraltar and Istanbul. For this purpose, Neptun Co. selected Belos for operations in the Bosphorus and the Black Sea and sent the tug to Istanbul.
At the special request of British insurance companies, and before the above-mentioned agreement was concluded, the Neptun Company sent Belos to the Black Sea to salvage the stranded vessel Easington.
In 1919, an agreement was concluded in Copenhagen with Svitzers and Norsk Bjergningskompagni A/S for the joint conduct of salvage operations in the Mediterranean. The Swedish company’s vessels were stationed at Bizerte and Istanbul (Çanakkale and Gallipoli). The Danish partner company stationed its vessels at Gibraltar and Marseille, while the Norwegian partner placed its vessels at Piraeus and İmeria. Thus, a major partnership was established to respond to potential ship casualties throughout the Mediterranean.

 
As evening falls over the Golden Horn… Once again, a tug is towing a barge.

Alfred Charles Grech, William Grech, Richard A. Grech, Osman Bey – “Mesut” (ex-Hawk)
The 1869 British-built wooden-hulled, steam-powered, screw tug was originally built under a name that has not yet been identified. Records indicate that she operated in the Dardanelles under an English entrepreneur based in Gallipoli. Although the vessel’s original name remains unknown, the family well known for its towing services at Çanakkale and Gallipoli, and for whom detailed biographical records exist, was that of the Malta-born British entrepreneurs Alfred Charles Grech, William Grech and Richard A. Grech.
The tug, reported to have operated at Gallipoli under the name Hawk, was 116 grt. Her dimensions were: length overall 32.3 m, breadth 5.3 m, depth 2.0 m.
In 1882, she was purchased by an Istanbul-based entrepreneur, Osman Bey, renamed Mesut, and modified.
In 1890, she was purchased on behalf of the İdare-i Mahsusa and transferred to the service of the Ottoman Navy.
In 1909, she was withdrawn from service.

A. Richard Grech
Although members of the Grech family, Malta-born British citizen entrepreneurs, lived in Çanakkale, the registered address of the company was R. D. F. Lander, 8 Sergeants’ Inn, Fleet Street, London E.C.4.
Their vessels Constance Grech, Hughli, Maggie Grech and Mary Louise operated mainly around Çanakkale, Gallipoli and Istanbul. All of the vessels flew the British flag.
The tugs were:
Constance Grech — built 1891
Hughli — built 1894, twin-screw
Maggie Grech — built 1889, twin-screw
Mary Louise Triad — built 1879, twin-screw
(Source: Lloyd’s Register of Shipping / Liste des Armateurs et des Directeurs-Gérants, 1921–22.)

Giorgio Spiteri, Andrea Spiteri, Carlotta Spiteri, Hristo Fenerciyan
The steam, wooden-hulled, paddle tug “Leinster”
Although Hristo Fenerciyan appears in lists of Ottoman shipowners, the vessel he owned, Leinster, was a wooden-hulled, steam-powered side-wheel tug operating in the Port of Istanbul. Although she does not appear in the relevant list, records in the Tyne Built Ships archive show that the first owners of this tug in Istanbul were members of the Malta-born Levantine Spiteri family.
Built in 1869 at South Shields by Readhead Softley & Co., Leinster was a 111-grt., 31-nrt. wooden-hulled, steam-powered paddle tug (Slipway No. 47). She was launched on 1 May 1869.
Entering service in June 1869, Leinster had a length overall of 102.6 ft., a breadth of 18.5 ft. and a depth of 9.8 ft.
Her single-expansion steam main engine, built by Readhead Softley & Co. of South Shields (Register No. 62983), developed 50 nhp.
Her first owner was William George Kilburn of South Shields. She was registered at the Port of South Shields on 11 June 1869.
On 12 July 1869, she arrived at the Port of Istanbul and was employed in harbour towing services.
In 1873, she was purchased by Giorgio Spiteri, a Malta-born Levantine entrepreneur established in Istanbul. He retained the name Leinster.
In 1892, ownership passed to Andrea Spiteri, a member of the family.
In 1896, she was registered in the name of Carlotta Spiteri, another member of the family.
In 1903, Hristo Fenerciyan purchased the vessel in Istanbul and retained her name.
Her registration continued to appear in Lloyd’s Register in 1908.

The Spiteri Family
The Spiteri family, originally from Xagħra, Malta, celebrated the 250th anniversary of their roots in 2018 with a church service. Particularly during the eighteenth century, some members of the Spiteri family were among the Maltese families who migrated to İzmir and Istanbul. Some later migrated to Australia, while others settled in the United States.
Following the death of Giorgio Spiteri, who had purchased the tug Leinster from William George Kilburn, ownership passed to his son Andrea Spiteri. Their office was located in Galata Han.
Antonio Spiteri, who was born in Istanbul, was the son of Paolo Spiteri. Antonio Spiteri married Margarita Anno Foscolo on 27 February 1876. He contracted his second marriage with Maria Baila at St. Antonio Church on 5 December 1880.
The former Ottoman Naval Ministry archives at the Istanbul Naval Museum contain a record concerning “Coal supplied to Fenerciyan Efendi, an Ottoman subject.”

Yenikapı – (ex-Ercole)
Built in 1866 at the San Rocco, Stabilimento Tecnico shipyard in Trieste, then within the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the steam-powered, wooden-hulled, side-wheel tug Ercole (Slipway No. 39) was 107 tons, 70 grt. and 30 nrt.
With a length overall of 26.4 m, a breadth of 4.8 m and a depth of 2.8 m, Ercole was fitted with a single-expansion main steam engine built by Stabilimento Tecnico, developing 150 ihp. Her maximum speed was 9 knots.
She was registered at the Port of Trieste and operated in the Port of Istanbul until 1869.
On 8 January 1869, she was purchased on behalf of the Ottoman state and renamed Yenikapı.
In 1880, she was converted into a water tanker and fitted with fire pumps.
In 1888, she was transferred to the Ottoman İdare-i Mahsusa.
In 1909, she was withdrawn from service and broken up.
Yenikapı – (ex-Mars VI)
The 42-year-old tug Mars VI, purchased in 1952 from Mars Stoomsleepdienst of Rotterdam, Netherlands, was renamed Yenikapı.
Source: T.D.İ. Picture and Cultural Museum.
The former Ottoman Naval Ministry archives at the Istanbul Naval Museum contain a record concerning “coal supplied to Fenerciyan Efendi, an Ottoman subject.”

Ahırkapı – (Ex-Flora, Ex-Fram, Ex-Mars IV)
Built in 1910 at Scheepswerf de Nieuwe Maas N.V. in Vlaardingen, Netherlands, the 52-grt., 15-nrt. steam-powered, iron-hulled, screw tug was named Flora.
Her two-cylinder compound steam main engine developed 230 ihp.
Her dimensions were: length overall 23.5 m, breadth 5.25 m, depth 2.6 m.
Her first owner was Smit of Nijmegen.
In 1920, she was purchased by Sleepboot Fram / Internationale Sleepdienst Mij N.V. of Rotterdam and renamed Fram.
In 1938, she was purchased by Stoomsleepdienst Mars of Rotterdam and renamed Mars IV.
On 1 March 1952, she was purchased on behalf of the Istanbul Port Administration of Denizcilik Bankası T.A.O. and renamed Yenikapı.She was scrapped in 1980.

Paddle tug Kocatepe

 
19th-century Izmir Pasaport quay

Herbert Whittall, Hadji Davut Farkouh
Steam-powered, wooden-hulled, paddle tug “Kocatepe” (ex-Mary)
Among the steamers of the Hamidiye Company known to have operated in the Gulf of İzmir during the early years up to 1890 were “Adliye,” “Dikili,” “Girit,” “Göztepe,” “Hamidiye,” “Islahhane,” “İstanbul,” “İzmir,” “Karataş,” “Karşıyaka,” “Kilizman,” “Terakki,” and “Urla.”
As for the registration history of the vessel identified as the “Kocatepe”—namely, where and in what year she was built, who her first owner was, what her original name was, when she came to Turkey, and who her Turkish owner was—none of these essential particulars can be found in other documents, official local records concerning the steamers operating in the Gulf of İzmir, papers, books, or articles.
Consequently, the true history of “Kocatepe” has remained obscure. This absence of information should not, however, be considered surprising, given the serious gaps that existed in the keeping and preservation of Turkish ship registers and vessel records.
Taking into consideration both her technical characteristics and her approximate date of construction, this tug appears to have been named “Mary,” and her owner in Ottoman İzmir may have been Herbert Whittall or Hadji Davut Farkouh.
The wooden-hulled, steam-powered paddle-wheel tug subsequently named “Kocatepe” was employed in passenger services within the Gulf of İzmir. She was purchased by Uşakizâde Muammer Bey and renamed “Kocatepe.”
Although she was a tug, she was put into passenger service in the Gulf of İzmir because of the shortage of passenger steamers available for local services.
According to the information available, immediately after the liberation of İzmir, the operation of steamer services in the Gulf fell into considerable confusion, and numerous individuals and organizations began operating steamers in the Gulf without obtaining the necessary authorization.
However, owing to the prevailing policy of state intervention and state ownership in the newly established Republic of Turkey, the right to operate passenger steamers in the Gulf was withdrawn from Uşakizâde Muammer Bey in 1925 and transferred to a state institution known as the “İzmir Port Management.” This organization was subsequently transferred to the İzmir Municipality in 1934.
Up to 1925, one of Uşakizâde Muammer Bey’s passenger steamers, “Duatepe,” had originally been built as a fishing boat and was operated on the Karşıyaka route. Since she had no passenger cabin, she provided only a limited number of passenger seats. In 1934, because of her poor maneuverability and, in particular, because she had begun taking water forward, she was withdrawn from service and was later sold to a mariner from Rize.
The “Kocatepe” was a tug of a type resembling a small cargo vessel. She had no passenger cabin and very limited seating accommodation. Because of her ability to withstand rough seas, she was withdrawn from the Karşıyaka service and assigned to the Karaburun–Foça route. In 1930, she sank off the shipyard to which she was attached, and in 1932 she was scrapped.

 Arif A. tug in the Golden Horn. Source: Doğan Bayın Archive.

 Steam-Powered Screw Tugs at Pasaport, İzmir

Steam-powered, wooden-hulled, screw tug “Vatan”
Built in Greece in 1914, this wooden-hulled, steam-powered screw tug of 20 GRT and 15 DWT was purchased by the French company SA Ottomane de Dock et Ateliers du Haut-Bosphore, Constantinople, which operated in Istanbul.
The tug was employed in towing services in the Golden Horn and the Bosphorus, but was requisitioned during the First World War as part of the wartime mobilization.
Her principal dimensions were as follows: Length overall: 18.60 m, Beam: 3.96 m, Depth: 2.13 m, Main steam engine: 150 IHP, Maximum speed: 8.5 knots.
After 1923, she was given the name “Vatan.” She was withdrawn from service in 1950. While laid up awaiting disposal, she was broken up in the Golden Horn in the early 1960s.

Société Anonyme Ottomane de Dock et Ateliers du Haut-Bosphore, Constantinople
Steam-powered, steel-hulled, screw tug “Ankara” (ex-Bufera, ex-Angora)
Built in 1906 at Akers Mek. Vaerksted, Kristiania, Norway, under the name “Bufera” (Yard No. 251), this steam-powered, steel-hulled screw tug measured 110 GRT. Her first registered owner was Regia Marina.
Her principal dimensions were:
-Length overall: 29.0 m, Beam: 5.50 m, Depth: 2.80 m
She was fitted with a triple-expansion steam engine and had a maximum speed of 9 knots.
She was withdrawn from service on 27 July 1916. After operating in the Port of Istanbul from 1 July 1920 until 1926, providing towing services, she was purchased by SA Ottomane de Dock et Ateliers du Haut-Bosphore, Constantinople.
She was renamed “Angora” and converted into a water tanker.
In 1928, her name was changed to “Ankara.”
She was withdrawn from service in 1960 and sold for scrap.

 Vessels loading coal inside the breakwater of Zonguldak Harbour.
In the photograph, two single-funnelled, steam-powered, wooden-hulled tugs can be seen: one in the middle distance and the other alongside the vessel's port side. The date shown on the postcard is 1897.

Share certificate of the Société D’Heraclée Anonyme Ottomane, 1897.

 
The tug “Asma” at Zonguldak. Source: Yüksel Yıldırım, Zonguldak Nostalji Archive.

Steam  Tugs “Kozlu” and “Asma”
The “Kozlu” tug, purchased for the Port of Zonguldak in 1939, was employed together with the “Asma” in services within the inner harbour.
The Kozlu and Asma tugs remained in service at Zonguldak Harbour until 1966.
In 1965, during the command of Captain Kadir Günal, an accident occurred aboard the steam-powered Kozlu, resulting in the death of a crew member.
Immediately following this incident, the Kozlu was put up for tender and sold by its owning organization, EKİ (Ereğli Kömürleri İşletmesi – Ereğli Coal Mines Enterprise).
The Kozlu tug had served for 27 years as a harbour service vessel at Zonguldak.

 
The tugs “Kozlu” and “Asma” at Zonguldak Harbour (left). Source: Zonguldak Nostalji, 
Yüksel Yıldırım Archive.

 
A paddle tug belonging to the Société d’Héraclée - Ereğli Company, jointly owned by Yanko Yoanidis, Anton Leonidis, George Zarifi, Gaston Auboyneau, and Albert Cazes, inside the breakwater of Zonguldak Port.

The Story of Mehmet Muslu of Amasra, a Crew Member
“Twenty-seven years and eleven months after the passage of the Bandırma, the steamer that carried Atatürk to Samsun, off Zonguldak, a large ship collided with the Kozlu tugboat in Zonguldak Harbour, opening a large breach in her hull.
The crew of the large ship and the people in the harbour immediately made every effort to save this highly useful tug belonging to the Ereğli Coal Enterprise. However, all the measures taken and all the efforts made proved futile. The tug could not be saved and was bound to sink. The captain therefore ordered all crew members to abandon the tug.
Like all the other workers aboard, Mehmet Muslu of Amasra was about to leave the vessel. At that moment, as we learn from his fellow workers, he thought:
‘There are portraits of two of our great leaders hanging in the lower deck of the tug—one of Atatürk and the other of İnönü! They must not remain under the water!’
At that moment, the two great Turkish heroes appeared to Mehmet Muslu as though they were about to drown—even though they existed there only in the form of portraits and symbols. ‘Nothing must happen to them.’
Despite the captain’s order, he plunged into the lower deck of the sinking tug. He was about to remove the two framed portraits from the bulkhead where they were fixed when water suddenly rushed in through the rapidly widening breach in the tug’s hull. At the same time, the wooden stairway was forced shut by the pressure of the water rising from below.
Thus, in the early hours of 18 April 1947, we lost a young worker, his hands still holding the portraits.”(Source: Yüksel Yıldırım, İyi ki Varsın Zonguldak, 2025.)

The Kozlu tugboat was built at the Constructions Mécaniques de Normandie (CMN) shipyard in Cherbourg, France, to support coal transportation and harbour operations at Zonguldak Harbour. After being brought to Turkey in 1939, she served for many years in the inner harbour operations at Zonguldak together with the Asma tug, particularly in towing barges loaded with coal.
Purchased by the Ereğli Kömürleri İşletmesi (E.K.İ.—Ereğli Coal Enterprise) in 1939, the Kozlu and Asma tugs operated together for many years in the inner harbour services at Zonguldak, including coal loading and transportation operations. Both tugs remained in service until 1966. Following a boiler explosion aboard the Kozlu in 1965, which resulted in the death of a crew member, both vessels were put up for tender and sold, bringing their service at Zonguldak to an end.

The Steam Tug Neptune, Built by Barclay, Curle & Co. Ltd., Glasgow, in 1893
Source: Clyde Built Ships.

John & Robert, Société d’Héraclée, Ereğli Kömür İşletmesi (E.K.İ.), Mustafa Paksoy, Salih Ünal, Cafer Şener & İsmail Şener
Steam Screw Tug “Kozlu” — (Ex-Neptune)
The steam, steel-hulled, screw tug Neptune (Official Number: 102585), built at the Clydeholm Yard of Barclay, Curle & Co. Ltd., Port Glasgow, on Slipway No. 385, had a gross tonnage of 165 tons and a net tonnage of 5 tons. She was launched on 3 May 1893. (IMO Code: 5196282.)
Her principal dimensions were: length overall 100.0 ft., beam 21.1 ft., depth 10.0 ft. Her two-expansion steam engine, built by Barclay, Curle & Co. Ltd. of Glasgow, developed 54 nhp, equivalent to 600 ihp, giving her a maximum speed of 12 knots.
In 1898, her machinery was renewed and rated at 84 nhp.
In 1903, her ownership was reorganised under the firm of Steel and Bennie Ltd.
In 1920, she was purchased by the Liverpool-based West Coast Towage & Salvage Company Ltd. and registered at the Port of Liverpool.
In 1925, she was purchased by the Sunderland-based firm of Thomas Young.
In 1926, she was purchased by the London-based British & Mediterranean Lighterage Co. Ltd.
In 1928, she was purchased by a Greek shipowner and registered at the Port of Piraeus. The name of the purchaser is not known.
Later in 1928, she was sold to the Société d’Héraclée—Ereğli Company, jointly owned by Yanko Yoanidis, Anton Leonidis, George Zarifi, Gaston Auboyneau and Albert Cazes, and registered at the Port of Istanbul. The 35-year-old tug was renamed “Kozlu”.
In 1939, she was purchased by the Eti Bank—Ereğli Kömürleri İşletmesi at Zonguldak and registered at the Port of Zonguldak.
In 1966, the Directorate of the Ereğli Kömürleri İşletmesi announced her sale by tender under the heading, “Marine Craft and Materials Withdrawn from Service to Be Sold.” The notice, published on 22 July 1966, stated:
“The Asma tug, the Kozlu tug, tugboat machinery and the bucket dredger, all withdrawn from service and scrapped, will be sold by sealed tender in accordance with the conditions specified in the tender documents. The specifications may be obtained from the General Directorate of the T.K.İ. Institution in Ankara, from the Istanbul Purchasing Directorate of the T.K.İ. Institution in Istanbul (Beyoğlu, İstiklâl Avenue, Piremeci Street, Baro Han, 2nd Floor), and from the Commercial and Materials Directorate of our Enterprise in Zonguldak. The auction will be held on Tuesday, 9 August 1966, at 3:00 p.m. Our Enterprise is not subject to the Law on Tenders and Auctions and reserves the right to proceed with, or refrain from proceeding with, the tender in whole or in part.”
Following the tender in 1967, the Kozlu tug was purchased in Zonguldak by Mustafa Paksoy, Salih Ünal, Cafer Şener and İsmail Şener.
Her steam engine was replaced by a 110 bhp, 82 kW diesel engine manufactured by Schwermaschinenbau “Karl Liebknecht” (SKL), Magdeburg, and the vessel was converted into a cargo vessel. Following the conversion, her measurements were altered to 149 grt, 96 nrt, with a length overall of 32.09 m, a beam of 6.43 m and a depth of 3.15 m.
In 1990, her entry in the Lloyd’s Register was deleted.

Antalya — (ex-Lomosonoff / Lomonosov, ex-Antissa, ex-Antalia)
The twin-screw, steel-hulled passenger and cargo steamer Lomosonoff, built in 1890 at the Walker shipyard of William Dobson & Co., was launched on 27 December 1890 and entered service in March 1891.She measured 977 grt and 480 nrt, with a length overall of 226.5 ft., a beam of 30.0 ft. and a depth of 20.8 ft.Her two triple-expansion steam engines, built by Hawthorn, Leslie & Co. Ltd. of Newcastle, developed a total of 121 nhp.
In March 1891, she was delivered to the Archangelsk-based Arkhangel-Mourman Steam Navigation Co.In 1920, she was purchased by W. Martin & Son of Newcastle.
In 1922, she was purchased by T. Bowen Rees & Co. on behalf of the Liverpool-based Egypt & Levant Steamship Co. Ltd. T. Bowen Rees was one of the well-known Levantine families of İzmir, and the company’s building stood opposite Pasaport Quay. The steamer was renamed “Antissa”.
In 1924, she was purchased by the Ottoman Seyr-i Sefain Administration and renamed “Antalya”.
In 1930, she was transferred to the Turkish Seyr-i Sefain Administration.
In 1934, she was transferred to the State Maritime Administration.
In 1938, she was transferred to Denizbank—Maritime Administration.
In 1940, she was transferred to the General Directorate of State Sea Routes and Ports under the Turkish Ministry of Transport.
In 1952, she was transferred to the Denizcilik Bankası T.A.O.
In October 1955, she was withdrawn from service and dismantled at Haliç.

Steam, Steel-Hulled, Screw Tug “Mary”
Built in 1887 at the Aberdeen shipyard of Alexander Hall & Co., on Slipway No. 328, the steam, steel-hulled, screw tug Mary (Official Number: 94522) had a gross tonnage of 30 tons and was delivered in December 1887.
Her principal dimensions were: length overall 55.4 ft., beam 12.7 ft. and depth 6.7 ft. Her two-expansion main steam engine, built by Alexander Hall & Co. of Aberdeen, developed 25 hp at 1,000 psi.
Her first owner was the Aberdeen-based firm of Thomas Adam Junior, and she was registered at the Port of Aberdeen.
In 1888, she was purchased in İzmir by Herbert Oscar Whittall. Her name was not changed.
In 1914, she was requisitioned under the wartime mobilisation measures of the First World War.In 1921, her registry was closed.

 
From left to right: Herbert Octavius Whittall and his wife Louise Maltass, with their family—daughter Kathleen, Louisa (wife of Herbert Octavius), daughter Mabel, son George, daughter Helen and son Henry. Front row (from left): Herbert, Herbert Oscar Whittall, Kathleen, Louisa Maltass, Helen and Henry. Photographed on the steps of their house in Bornova, 1910. Source: Levantine Heritage Foundation—Philip Vincent Archive.

Thomas Adam Junior, Herbert Oscar Whittall
Herbert Oscar (Octavius) Whittall, son of Herbert Whittall and his wife Louise Maltass, belonged to the prominent Whittall and Maltass families of İzmir. Their mansion in Bornova was known as the “Big House.” Herbert Octavius Whittall was born in İzmir in 1858. He was one of the family partners and managers of the İzmir-based firm Charlton Whittall & Co.
After 1922, the Big House was sold to the Giraud family.Died in 1929 at the age of 71, while his wife Louise Maltass died in Tunis in 1942.

Steam, Iron-Hulled, Screw Tug Nimet — (ex-King Docemo, ex-Nubia, ex-Nicholas / Nicholaeff)
John Walsh and Richard Duckett (Walsh & Co.), Cosmetto Nicolas P.
The steam, iron-hulled, screw tug King Docemo (Official Number: 76497), built in 1877 at the Castle Yard of Blackwood & Gordon, Port Glasgow, on Slipway No. 141, had a gross tonnage of 233 tons and a net tonnage of 158 tons. She was described in the register as a general cargo vessel. She was launched on 14 April 1877.
Her principal dimensions were: length overall 140.2 ft., beam 23.2 ft. and depth 8.7 ft. Her two-expansion main steam engine, built by Blackwood & Gordon of Port Glasgow, developed 54 nhp.
Her first owners were the Liverpool-based John Walsh and Richard Duckett (Walsh & Co.). She was registered at the Port of Liverpool in May 1877 and operated as a coastal vessel in West Africa.
On 23 October 1880, she sailed from Liverpool for Marseille.
In 1880, she was purchased in Marseille by the Société Cyprien Fabre & Compagnie and renamed “Nubia”.
In 1890, she was purchased by the Istanbul-based Greek shipowner Cosmetto Nicolas P. She was renamed “Nicholas / Nicholaeff” and registered at the Port of Istanbul.
In 1891, she was sold to the Ottoman İdare-i Mahsusa and renamed Nimet.
She was subsequently transferred to the Ottoman Seyr-i Sefain Administration and later to the Turkish Seyr-i Sefain Administration.
In 1930, she was dismantled at the shipbreaking yard of Hüseyin İlhami Söker at Balat, Haliç.

Steam, Iron-Hulled, Screw Tug Hayırduası — (Ex-Alert, Ex-Serk)
The iron-hulled, screw tug Alert was built at the Merksworth Works of J. Fullerton & Co., Paisley, on Slipway No. 69, and launched on 20 June 1885. She entered service in the same year.
She measured 112 grt and 13 nrt, with a length overall of 110.0 ft., a beam of 19.0 ft. and a depth of 10.1 ft. (Official Number: 86459.) Her two-expansion main steam engine, built by William Kemp of Govan, developed 300 ihp.
In 1885, she was registered at South Shields on behalf of the Guernsey Steam Towing & Trading Co. and subsequently registered at the Port of Guernsey on 16 July 1885.
In 1890, she underwent repairs, following which her tonnage was recorded as 122 grt and 25 nrt, and subsequently as 122 grt and 37 nrt.
In 1895, she underwent another refit and was recorded as 137 grt and 14 nrt.
A third refit was carried out in 1900, after which she was recorded as 139 grt and 23 nrt.
In 1904, the company became Guernsey Steam Towing & Trading Co. Ltd., and the tug was renamed Serk.
In 1913, she was sold for service at the Port of Istanbul. The name of the purchaser is unknown, and she was renamed Hayırduası.
She entered service at the Port of Istanbul. No further record of her subsequent fate has been found.

Wooden-Hulled Paddle Tug “Unione”
Mirale Bey & Is, Russo & Co., Madalena Caruana
The wooden-hulled paddle tug Unione was launched on 12 July 1866 at the Readhead Softley & Co. shipyard in South Shields, on Slipway No. 9. She was subsequently purchased in Istanbul by Mirale Bey & Is. There appears to be an error in the recording of the purchaser’s name, but the registry gives it as “Mirale Bey.”
The Unione, of 187 grt and 30 nrt, measured 125.0 ft. in length overall, with a beam of 22.0 ft. and a depth of 11.0 ft. She was a single-masted vessel fitted with two boilers and two main steam engines built by Readhead Softley & Co. of South Shields. The engines developed 86 hp.
In 1867, she was purchased in Istanbul by Russo & Co. Her name was not changed.
In 1878, she was purchased by Madalena Caruana, based in Sulina, Romania.
No further information concerning this tug has been found.

William Handfield
The Steam-Powered, Iron-Hulled, Paddle Tug, “Emperor”
Built in 1855 at Port Glasgow for James Jack of Liverpool, at a shipyard whose name is not recorded in the Clyde records, the steam-powered, paddle-wheel, iron-hulled tug “Emperor” (Official Number: 7005) had a gross tonnage of 145 GRT and a net tonnage of 91 NRT. Her dimensions were: overall length 129.8 ft, beam 18.6 ft, and depth 6.5 ft.
Her two-cylinder compound main steam engine, built by James Jack, Victoria Engine Works, Bootle, developed 80 nominal horsepower (NHP).
The “Emperor” entered service on 9 November 1855 and was registered at the Port of Liverpool. She was sold at auction in Liverpool on 3 January 1856.
The purchaser then sailed from Liverpool for Istanbul, intending to operate the tug in the Port of Istanbul.
On 20 February 1856, she began making water near the Scilly Isles. On 28 February 1856, while attempting to enter Cádiz, she suffered an engine failure and was driven onto the steep rocks of La Galita.
In March 1856, her former owner, James Jack, repaired the tug and sold her to William Handfield. Handfield subsequently sold her, within approximately twelve months, to another purchaser, who intended to operate the tug either in Istanbul or at a port in the Black Sea.

Giovanni Delta
The Steam-Powered, Screw-Propelled, Wooden-Hulled Tug “Wosd”, also known as “Wosa”
Built in 1852 at the William Simons shipyard at Cartside, Greenock, from slipway No. 61, the steam-powered, screw-propelled tug “Wosd” entered service on 15 May 1852.
She was listed at 126 GRT and 53 NRT. Her two-cylinder compound main steam engine was built by Campbell, Macnab & Clark of Greenock.
The tug was ordered by her first owner, Giovanni Delta of Berdiansk, Russia, for operation in the Port of Istanbul. Her other recorded name was “Wosa.” No further record concerning the tug has been found in the available documents.

Steam-Powered, Screw-Propelled, Steel-Hulled Tug “Kudret” 
A steam-powered, screw-propelled, steel-hulled tug of 85 GRT and 17 NRT, believed—on the basis of an entry in an official’s notebook—to have been built in Britain in 1915, has not been found in either the Tyne or Clyde archival records.
Her dimensions were: overall length 24.40 metres, beam 5.70 metres, and depth 2.75 metres. Her triple-expansion main steam engine developed 280 indicated horsepower (IHP), and her maximum speed was 8.5 knots. Coal consumption was 200 kg, while her coal-bunker capacity was 25 tons.
At the session of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM) held on 29 November 1923, a bill was submitted concerning an additional appropriation to the section of the Administration of Turkish Maritime Lines (Türkiye Seyr-i Sefain İdaresi) budget allocated for the purchase of steamships and tugs.
Part of the bill stated:“For this purpose, under the Second Advance Appropriation Law of 1339 (1923) of the Administration of Turkish Maritime Lines, a proposal was submitted for the purchase of two tugs and two boats, including their purchase prices and expenses.”
Prime Minister İsmet Pasha submitted the proposal to the Presidency of the Grand National Assembly. The bill, prepared by the Ministry of National Defence and amended at the meeting of the Council of Ministers on 29 November 1923, was presented to the Assembly.
The Prime Minister explained the justification for the proposal in the following terms:
“The particular importance of maritime transportation for our country is self-evident. Furthermore, the cabotage rights previously enjoyed by foreign companies have been abolished under the provisions of the Commercial Convention annexed to the Treaty of Lausanne. In addition, since Greek refugees whose transfer to Turkey had begun under the Exchange Convention were to be transported, and since it was desirable that the transportation costs paid for this purpose should, as far as possible, remain within the country, it became necessary for the Administration of Turkish Maritime Lines to purchase a steamship without delay.”
The proposal was accepted, and two tugs were purchased in 1924.

The Sale of the Tugs “Kudret-1”, “Berat-1” and the Motor Barge “Alsancak”
In November 1948, the tugs “Kudret-1” and “Berat-1”, together with the motor barge “Alsancak”, were put up for sale because of the debts of the Hiçipzâde Mustafa Turgud and Osman Peker Collective Company. Source: archive of the newspaper Cumhuriyet, 2 November 1948.
The “Kudret-1” and “Berat-1” tugs and the motor barge “Alsancak”, belonging to Hiçipzâde Mustafa Turgud and Osman Peker Collective Company, were offered for sale through enforcement proceedings.
In November 1948, the Istanbul Tax Administration (İstanbul Defterdarlığı) put the two tugs and the motor barge up for sale because of the company’s outstanding debts.
The announcement published in the newspapers on 2 November 1948 was repeated in the newspapers dated 17 November 1948. The particulars given for the tug “Kudret-1” demonstrate that she was a different vessel from the tug “Kudret” described above.
According to the notice issued by the Istanbul Tax Administration, no construction date was given for the “Kudret-1”. Her place of construction was simply stated as “Foreign” (Ecnebi). This information suggests that the tug was a vessel of foreign origin dating from the Ottoman period.
The first auction was scheduled for Monday, 15 November 1948, at 2:30 p.m., while the second auction and final sale were scheduled for Thursday, 25 November 1948, at the same time, at the Sixth Department of the Beyoğlu District Governor’s Office.

The Tug “San’a”
The End of the Era of Foreign-Owned Tugs
With the entry of the Ottoman Empire into the First World War, a number of tugs owned by foreign nationals and companies were requisitioned on the grounds of mobilisation and placed at the service of the Ottoman Navy.
Some tugs were renamed after the proclamation of the Republic and continued to operate in connection with the Port of Istanbul or various shipyards. Some were chartered for service with the British and French navies and, in addition to operations in the Dardanelles, were employed in transport duties from bases such as Imbros (Gökçeada), Bozcaada and the Island of Lesbos (Mytilene).
The following tugs were among those transferred to, requisitioned by, or otherwise incorporated into the service of the late Ottoman Navy and/or carried over into the Republican period for government service:“Yenikapı, Mesut, Samsun, Menderes, Sürat, Katerin, Muha, Kurt, İğtinam, Gazal, Memo, Express, Fatihiye, İstanbul, France, Bordeaux, Maggie Grech, Bospordok, Mary Louise, Lutèce, Eole, Paris, Liverpool, İstinye, Foça, Elena, Cemil, Gürçistan, Bayraklı, Şevkiyat, Bornova, Dofen, Maltepe, Sa’na, Alemdar, Abdülkadir, Arslan, Süleymaniye, Leonida, Menfaat.”
In addition, the tugs “Boyana, Çatalca, Oltanica, Suda, Şeref Nüma, Ereğli, İslahat, Marmara, Nüzhet, Alos, Fazılillah, Kasım Paşa, Fındıklı, Kabataş, Medvet, Resan, Cibali, Rusçuk” and “Tophane” were converted for use as water-storage vessels or water tankers.
With the abolition of the Capitulations, a new era was to begin in this field as well. Tug construction in Turkey, however, would establish a national foundation through the rights granted to private-sector maritime companies and would eventually develop an international dimension.

The Steam-Powered, Wooden-Hulled, Paddle Tug “Stefano”
Launched in March 1872 from the yard of David J. Stewart at North Shields, the tug “Stefano” entered service in May 1872.
Owned by William Hepple of South Shields, the tug was purchased on the same day by Pandi Antonio Ralli, a member of the Ralli family of Chios, for operation in the Port of Istanbul.
The “Stefano” proceeded from Gibraltar and Malta to Istanbul and entered service in Istanbul during the same year.Her registration at North Shields was closed in 1898.

 
The steam-powered, wooden-hulled, paddle tug 
“Stefano” off Arnavutköy.

Sources:
- Scotland Built Ships. Lloyd’s Register of Shipping / Liste Des Armateurs et Des Directeurs- Gérants 1921-22. Osman Öndeş; “Vapur Donatanları ve Gemi Acenteleri Tarihi”, VDA Yayını, 2002.
- Osman Öndeş; “On appeal From to Supreme Consular Court of Constantinople (In Vice Admiralty)-No.25 1897”.
- Derya Geçili; “Osmanlı Devleti’nde Boğazlarda Kılavuz Kaptanlık”- KTÜ- Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi Yıl: 7, Sayı: 13, Haziran 2017. 
- Derya Geçili;“Esfar-ı Karibe ve Baide Tüccar Sefâini Süvarileriyle İkinci ve Üçüncü Kaptanlarının ve Liman Sefâini ile Yat Kaptanlarının İmtihanlarına Aid Programdır. Matbaa-i Bahriyede Tab’ olunmuştur. 14 Teşrîn-i Sâni 1325.”
- Amiral Afif Büyüktuğrul; Osmanlı Deniz Harp Tarihi, TC.Deniz Basımevi. 1982. 
- Doç. Dr. Levent Düzcü; “Yakınçağ Tarihi Bilim Dalı “Yelkenliden Buharlıya Geçişte Osmanlı Denizciliği (1825-1855)” T.C. Gazi Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Tarih Anabilim Dalı, Ankara- 2012;Doğu Kütüphanesi, 2017. 
- Prof. Dr.İlhan Ekinci; “Osmanlı’da Yabancı Vapur Kumpanyaları ve İmajları Hakkında”, Kebikeç / 21- 2006, Sayfa 73-96. 
- Yrd. Doç. Dr. Pınar Şenışık; “Girit’te Yetim Olmak: Muhtariyet İdaresi ve Akraba Meclisleri (1898 -1913), Türkiyat Mecmuası, 2016, c. 26/1, 2016, s. 267 282 Doğuş Üniversitesi, Uluslararası İlişkiler Bölümü. 
- Ali Adem Yörük;“Kapitülasyonların Kaldırılması Sürecine Dair Bibliyografık Bir Deneme: 1909-1927 Yılları Arasında Yazılmış Kapitülasyon Kitapları”, Beykent Üniversitesi / Türk Hukuk Tarihi Araştırmaları, Sayı 5, 2008 (Bahar), 97-130 
- Prof. Dr. İlhan Ekinci;“Osmanlı Devleti’nde Marmara’da Kabotaj Tartışmaları”. Afyon Kocatepe Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, C VIII, S1, Afyonkarahisar 2006, s.99-122;
- Mehmet Mazak; “İstanbul’un Deniz Hamalları”, Yeditepe Yayınları, 2012.
- Türkiye Sahillerinde Nakliyatı Bahriye (Kabotaj) Ve Limanlarla Kara Suları Dahilinde İcrayı San’at Ve Ticaret Hakkında 815 No.’lu Yasa; 29 Nisan 1926 tarihli Resmi Gazete. 
- Haliç Fabrikalarında yapılan römorkör; Cumhuriyet Gazetesi arşivi, 21 Şubat 1948.
- Mevhibe Celaleddin- Geçmiş Zaman Olur ki”,Çağdaş Yayınevi, 1987.
-  Thames Tugs-Early Owners. 
- Osman Öndeş; Türk Armatörleri Tarihi” Cilt I. İmeak Deniz Ticaret Odası ve Türk Armatörleri Birliği Neşriyatı. 
- Kaptan Mehmet İhya Görgün, 27 Ocak 2015.
- J. White; “J. White Shipyard” 
- http://www.worldwar1.co.uk/sunk17.htm; HMS Ben-My-Chree was sunk by Ottoman artillery whilst at anchor at Castellorizo. She was one of a series of steamers converted to seaplane carriers for the Royal Navy - the large box shaped hanger is clearly visible. Also visible is the is the pole derrick which distinguished her from the other similar conversions. http://www.grandeguerre.org/Essentiel/marine.htm.
- Mustafa Aydemir; “Ben bir Türk Zabitiyim- Mustafa Ertuğrul”, Denizler Kitabevi, 2004.
- Wreck Site kayıtlarında 1865 inşa “Thomas Fooks”un 12 Aralık 1925 günü İstanbul Boğazında karaya oturduğu ve Tam kayıp (Constructive Total Lost) sayıldığı yazılıdır.
- Eser Tutel; “Seyrisefain Öncesi ve Sonrası”, İletişim Yayınları, 1997.
- Efdal As; “Cumhuriyet Dönemi Ulaşım Politikaları (1923 – 1960)”, T.C. Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi Atatürk İlkeleri Ve İnkılâp Tarihi Enstitüsü Doktora Tezi, 2006. 
-“Türk Gemi Kurtarma Anonim Şirketi” teşkili hakkında kanun Resmî Gazete ile neşir ve ilânı: 17 Temmuz 1932 - Sayı: 2151, Resmi Gazete: No.2070, Kabul Tarihi: 9 Temmuz 1932.
- Lloyd’s Register of Shipping “Belos” maddesi; Greenwich National Maritime Muesum. 
-  http://www.culturanavale.it/ documentazione.php?id=290.; Les Combattans & L’Histoire de la Grand Guerre Forum- Sf.14.18-Tyne Tugs and Tug Builders;
- Nick Robins; The Coming of the Comet; The Rise and Fall of the Padlle Steamer, Seafort Publishing Pen & Sward Books Ltd., 2012.
- Vapeurs Français Coules en 1914-1918.-Frank Charles Bowen; “A Hundred Years of Towage – History of Messrs; William Watkins Ltd. 1833-1933”; Chizine Publication,1924-2018.
- Güzide Sezgin; “İnönü Dönemi (1938-1950) Türk Denizciliği” Ankara Üniversitesi Türk İnkılap Tarihi Enstitüsü, Ulusal Tez Merkezi Sf.52, Yüksek Lisans Tezi, 2007. 
- 24 Temmuz 1923 Lozan Barış Antlaşması Md.3.
-  Object ID ALB1394 in the area of the Dardanelles, Aegean Sea and Black Sea 1920-3 (ALB1394) Album entitled ‘Salvage operations in Near Eastern Waters’ (signed) ‘W. A. Doust’, relating to work carried out by the Ocean Salvage Co. Lt. London. Description: This is a card covered lace bound album, containing 103 photographs corner mounted. There are 8 additional pages on which are mounted 47 photographs. Information on most of the vessels depicted has been added. The album includes the following locations: Castellorizo, River Danube. The album includes the following vessels: Caesar II (1906) salvage steamer, ex. trawler of Hull, reg. London 1920; Belos (1885) Swedish salvage steamer; Cleopatra III (1906) ex Cleopatra, salvage steamer, ex trawler of Hull, reg. London 1920; La Valette (1879) salvage tu.
- Eugene Eugenides; Evgenidio / Evgenidion Vakfı 
- Tyne Tugs & Tug Builders; Lloyd’s Register of Shipping.
- Historic Naval Ships Association, Madde- “Gonca”; 
- Graham Lee; “Grech Family at the Dardanelles”, Levantine Heritage Foundation, 2010.
- Collaborative Online Research Project Consuls Of “The Dardanelles” And “Gallipoli”-1898 William Grech Vice-consul Foreign Office List, 1906 1900 1914 William Grech Vice-Consul AO 1900, 1901, 1902, 1903, 1904, 1909, 1912, 1913, 1914 1911 W. Grech Vice-consid. Almanack, Joseph Whitaker, 1911; Levantine Heritage Foundation, 2010. 
- Dr.Mithat Atabay; “Atatük’ün Dans Ettiği Beria Hanım Kimdi ve Nasıl Bir Hayat Yaşadı”, Aynalı Pazar, 26 Temmuz 2015, s.14; 
- Clyde Built Tugs & Tug Builders; Scotland Built Tugs; Lloyd’s Register of Shipping, Historisches Marinearchiv & Forum Marinearchiv.
- Capelle aan den Ijsel’deki Scheepswersen H. Vuijk & Zonen; Lloyd’s Register. 
- Hikmet Öksüz, “Kurtuluş Savaşı Sırasında Türk Deniz Kuvvetlerinin Durumu ve Milli Mücadeleye Katkıları”, Türk Dünyası Araştırmaları, Sayı 164, Eylül-Ekim 2006, s. 4-33; 
- Archives Commerciales de France, Sayı 49,Çarşamba 19 Haziran1895, Sayfa. 762.- Selection of measurements from Beams Ship Measurement Service.
 - Nigel West; “Historical Dictionary of World War I, Intelligence”, Rowmand & Littlefield, U.K. yayını, 2014; 
- Sina Akşin: İstanbul Hükümetleri ve Milli Mücadele (Mutlakıyete Dönüş 1918- 1923), c.I., İstanbul, Türkiye İş Bankası Kültür Yayınları, s.228. 
- Lloyd’s Register of Shipping 1918-1919. Osman Öndeş Arşivi
-  Eole- Remorqueur - Cie française de Pilotage, Remorquage & Sauvetage (Archives Commerciales de France, No. 131, 2 Pazartesi, 4 Kasım 1931 Çarşamba, Sf. 5.012); Lloyd’s Register of Shipping. 1921-22.
-  Thames Tugs & Tug Builders; Lloyd’s Register of Shipping.;Ship Wreck.eu.
-  Levantine Heritage – Tubini - Corpi maddesi.

Supplement-
House Flags & Funnels  of foreign flagged tugboats
during Ottoman Empire -(Source:Lloyd’s Book of House Flags & Funnels)

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